


In any version of reality, I'd find you and I'd choose you

by captain_k_jones



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, one shots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-14
Updated: 2016-01-18
Packaged: 2018-04-26 07:53:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 23,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4996687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captain_k_jones/pseuds/captain_k_jones
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Various one-shots written for my follower appreciation on tumblr. Each chapter is a different prompt. Rating M just in case. Most prompts will not include smut.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Of Coffee, Music, and Dates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Follower Appreciation Prompt: "ur just a random stranger and i've been ranting to you for like 20 minutes about how much i hate this one band but now several groups of people came up to you asking for pics and autographs, and oh shit it turns out you're in the band i've been going on about" au

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by timeless-love-story . I hope you enjoy this! Please let me know what you think!
> 
> Huge thanks to lenfaz for looking this over

“Is this seat taken, lass?” A heavily accented voice murmured in front of her.

Emma rolled her eyes. She really didn’t have time to deal with some guy trying to flirt with her, especially not when she had a huge British Lit final that she needed to study for. Glancing up from her copy of _The Heart of Darkness_ , her eyes widened as she took in the owner of the voice.

His hair was dark and had that artfully disheveled look to it. A chiseled jaw line led to the most beautiful blue eyes that she’d ever seen. He was dressed simply in a pair of ripped jeans, black henley, and black chucks. A black leather motorcycle jacket completed the look, as did the eyebrow arched in her direction. She bit her lip, he was easily the hottest guy she’d ever seen.

“Lass? The seat?” He questioned once more, reminding her that she actually needed to speak and not just stare.

She felt her cheeks flush and knew the were turning red. “Um… sure.” Grabbing her books from his side of the table she gave him an apologetic smile. “Sorry. I have a big test tomorrow.”

He waved her off and shot a brilliant smile in her direction. “No worries. _Heart of Darkness_ , eh?”

His head inclined in the direction of her book and she shrugged her shoulders. “Yeah. Not a huge Brit Lit fan, it is so dry and boring, but I need the class.”

His hand rose to scratch the nape of his neck. It was then she realized what she had done. _Nice going, Emma. Insult british literature to the Brit. Amazing plan_. What was it about this man that made her so off kilter? She’d met him five minutes ago and had already embarrassed herself twice.

“Sorry.” She lifted her shoulders sheepishly. “I don’t normally make a habit of insulting people’s heritage to their faces.”

“No worries. Between you and me, I’m not much on a Conrad fan myself either.” He shot a wink in her direction.

Relief flooded her body as she returned her eyes to the novel. As soon as she was able to locate her spot, the music in the cafe switched and she let out a sigh drawing the attention of her table mate.

“Something the matter, lass?”

She placed her on the table in front of her. “It’s nothing… just I hate this song.”

His eyes seemed to widen in shock. “You don’t like The Dashing Rapscallions?”

 

The disbelief in his tone had her rolling her eyes. “Ugh. God no. They are horrible.”

“Quite passionate there, Miss…” His voice trailed off so she could supply her name.

“Swan. Emma Swan.” She held her hand out to shake his hand. “And you?”

“Killian.” He grabbed her hand and could swear she felt sparks shoot up her arm.

“What? No last name?” She teased lightly.

His tongue ran over his lip. “Where’s the fun in that, love?”

She could feel her face flush at his words. Oh, he definitely knew what he was doing and she was definitely falling for it. Hook, line, and sinker.

“So, if you don’t like _The Dashing Rapscallions_ who do you like?” He seemed genuinely interested in her opinion as he shifted to get more comfortable in the chair.

She bit the inside of her cheek. Her music taste was a bit different from most women her age. She had an affliction for the harder stuff. Mostly due to a childhood that had left her angry and bitter. Even now, after she’d accumulated her own makeshift family with her friends, she still preferred a nice  distorted guitar sound over anything else.

She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and prepared herself for his reaction. “ _Metallica_. They are without a doubt, my favorite band.”

Like so many times before, she watched as his features shifted into shock. He blinked several times, and then chuckled. “You...You like Metallica? Forgive me, love, that is the _last_ thing I expected you to say.”

“I know.” She smiled shyly.

“So that’s why you don’t like _The Dashing Rapscallions_ then, because they are not metal?” His fingers drummed the table lightly.

She shook her head. “No. Their lyrics are are cookie cutter at best and their sound is like every other band out right now. There’s no passion to their music. Where’s the anger? Where’s the sadness. A good band can make you feel with their lyrics. They can calm you when you’re angry or focus you when you need to be. _The Dashing Crapscallions_ can’t do that. They’re not talented enough.”

Killian looked taken aback for a moment. He opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by the barista yelling the name Killian Jones through the cafe. Suddenly, all eyes were focused on the two of them.

What the hell was going on? The next thing she knew, their table was surrounded by a crowd of people. Girls were crying, guys stared on in shock, it was utter madness. It made no sense, who was this guy?

It wasn’t until a girl stood next to her that she noticed it. The girl had on a black t-shirt with the words The Dashing Rapscallions written across it in red. Underneath was a picture of the band and right there, in the center, was the man she’d spent the last twenty minutes talking to, the last twenty minutes flirting with. She’d spent the last twenty minutes telling him how utterly terrible his band was as well. She closed her eyes running her fingers through her locks. Killian Jones of _The Dashing Rapscallions._

She was a fucking idiot.

Once the crowd dispersed, Killian having signed everything that was handed to him, he turned his body back to her with an amused expression on his face.

“I’m sorry!” She all but shrieked the words out. “I didn’t know. I would never…”

Her words tailed off as he leaned over the table into her space. “Actually, love, Your opinion was rather eye-opening. Perhaps we could discuss it more over, let’s say, dinner this weekend?”

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. He wanted to have dinner with her. Even though she’d pretty much told him his band was terrible and talentless. How was this even possible? How…

She was torn from her thoughts as he reached out and lifted her fingers to his lips, kissing the back of her hand lightly. “I would really like to have dinner with you, Miss Emma Swan. Even if you think I am a talentless wanker.” He whispered the words with an easy smile on his face.

Before she could change her mind, she nodded. “Okay. I’ll go to dinner with you.”

The grin on his face could light a whole block it was so bright. She was so screwed.

(They went on their first date the following weekend.)

(Six months later, he asked her to critic the new album.)

(The album debuted at number one and stayed there for ten weeks.)

**  
(They got married two years later.)**


	2. To This Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Follower Appreciation Prompt: "we are friends and my child’s first word was your name and im jealous but also kind of endeared" and "you’ve been sleeping at mine because your house is being renovated and we aren’t even dating, yet every time you wake up to the baby crying and sigh, “i’ll go” i feel like we might as well be married"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by in-spirational . I hope you enjoy this! Please let me know what you think!
> 
> This one is a little angsty at first just to warn you. It also got away from me...so sorry about the length!
> 
> Huge thanks to chrissascorner for looking this over.

Her dingy apartment was a mess. She hadn’t been able to do laundry in days, so it was all piled up in the corner. Henry’s toys were strung across the floor, there were dirty dishes in the sink, and a leaky pipe in the bathroom. She didn’t even want to think about the rent that is due in a week, the rent that she didn’t have. She thought she could do this alone, but maybe she was wrong. Maybe she couldn’t. He’d only been gone for a month and already things were starting to fall apart, already she was starting to fall apart.

A knock on the door sounded just as Henry started crying. For a moment she just stood there, stood there as he son cried, as her life fell apart before her eyes. She needed a break, she needed Henry to stop crying, she needed… She needed for him to just come home. She wanted nothing more than to stand in the middle of the room and scream, to shout to the heavens that it wasn’t fair. That, for once, she just wanted things to be easy, she just wanted things to go her way.  

But, Emma Swan didn’t have the luxury of things going her way, just as she didn’t have the luxury of ignoring her problems. She had responsibilities, she had a three-month-old to take care of, she had bills to pay. If she didn’t do these things, if she didn’t do what needed to be done, she would be no better than the parents that left her on the side of the road as an infant and that, that was not an option.

Another knock sounded at the door, more insistent this time. Sighing, she scooped Henry up into her arms and made sure to grab his stuffed giraffe before making her way to the door. The giraffe, in all of its yellow faded, missing one eye glory, was Henry’s favorite toy. If she had any hope of calming him down before opening the door, it would be with his ‘giraffie.’

The giraffe did its trick and, by the time she opened the door, Henry was cooing happily in her arms. Which was probably a good thing because she was going to need a moment to deal with the fact that Killian Jones was standing at her door.

Killian Jones who was her partner in crime while living in the group home, he was the one who stuck with her after they were aged out of the system, the one who promised he would always protect her, and he was the one who broke that promise when he disappeared four months ago with his married girlfriend. Not that she was surprised, it was pretty much common knowledge that no one ever put Emma Swan first, why would he be any different?

Yet, here he was standing at her doorway wearing his ripped up jeans, old converses, and his favorite Ramones t-shirt. His hair was just as disheveled as she remembered, his eyes just as blue. Her breath caught in her throat as she opened her mouth to speak. Why was he here? Why did he come back now? Why… Her eyes narrowed. He was her best friend and he’d just vanished without even letting her know where he was going. Yes, she had Henry’s father at the time but still… it hurt.

Henry bouncing in her arms, his giraffie hitting her in the nose, brought her back to the the present, back to the man in front of her.

“What are you doing here, Killian?” Her voice was flat as she schooled her features.

He shifted his weight from foot to foot, his hand rising so that he could run his fingers through his locks. She wanted to pretend that she was entirely indifferent to his answer, that she didn’t care why he had left her so close to her due date, but the truth was… she did care. She cared entirely too much.

His head inclined in her direction causing pieces of hair to fall into his eyes, a bittersweet smile formed on his lips. “Is this the lad then? He’s… He’s got your eyes, love.”

It was easy to hear the amazement in his voice, but it didn’t take away from the fact that he’d avoided her question.

“Why are you here, Killian?” She was tired, so tired of being let down by the people who were supposed to be there for her.

He moved slowly, his body invading in her space, before his eyes softened. “I came back because you needed me, Emma. I heard that bloody excuse for a…”

Her hand came up, her arm stiff in front of her. She couldn’t… She didn’t… Killian seemed to pick up on her discomfort immediately because he stopped speaking, his lips forming a line.

“I don’t need a knight in shining armor, Killian. I can do this on my own.” Now if she could only figure out how.

“But don’t you see, Emma.” His eyes pleaded with her. “You shouldn’t have to.”

There was something in his words, something in his eyes, that told her he meant what he was saying, that he had every intention of staying here and helping her through this. But if that were the case, why did he leave four months ago? Where did he go?

In her arms, Henry wiggled indicating that he was tired of being held. Her eyes drifted from her son to the man standing before her, to the man who came back for her, to the man that had left her the first place. She bit her lip and exhaled slowly.

“What happened with Milah, Killian?” Her shoulders slumped. She needed to know this, needed to know why he wasn’t with her when she’d needed him the most.

His eyes widened in alarm as he physically took a step back. “Milah? I haven’t spoken to Milah in four months, Emma.”

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, her head tilting to the side. His words didn’t make any sense. Henry’s father had said… Her eyes widened in alarm, suddenly the dots connected in her mind. Of course he lied about that. He’d lied about everything else, why would he stop there? Why wouldn’t he try to strip her oldest support from her as well?

“Is that what that bloody wanker told you, Emma? That I ran off with Milah?” His fingers brushed the hair out of his eyes before they fell to the floor. “That’s why you never called.” He whispered with a shake of his head.

Her heart clenched in her chest. She thought he had left her, that he had abandoned her like so many others, only she was wrong. He hadn’t abandoned her, she had abandoned him. She had trusted her boyfriend over her bestfriend, a bestfriend that had proven time and time again he would always be there when she needed him.

As she stepped forward, his head lifted and their eyes met. “It looks like we both trusted the wrong person then, huh?” Her lips lifted in an apologetic smile.

He nodded. “Aye. Looks to be that way and for the record, I haven’t seen Milah in four months and I have no intention of that changing.”

It was her turn to nod. It was no secret that she hadn’t agreed with Killian seeing a married woman, but it had been his life. Besides, it was no secret that Killian was not a fan of Henry’s father. Looks like they were both right in this case.

Henry cooed in her arms as he slung his giraffie back and forth, his eyes alight with amusement. It was getting close to his feeding time and she really needed to do some work around the apartment before then. In front of her, Killian stood awkwardly in the hallway. She wondered for a moment if he still had it old apartment or if…

She shifted Henry to her other hip. “Where are you staying, Killian?”

He scuffed his feet on the carpeted floor. “Well… I, uh… I haven’t quite figured that out yet, love. I heard what happened and was on the next greyhound back. I couldn’t let you do this alone.” His eyes bore into hers. “I would never let you do this alone.”

The honesty in his words had her propelling herself forward into his embrace. He caught her with a huff and wound his arms around her and Henry. For the first time in almost four weeks she felt like there was a light at the end of the tunnel.

Her head popped up from his chest to meet his gaze. “Here. You can stay here, with me...with us.”

She spoke the words before she could change her mind. The fact of the matter was...She needed help and Killian would always be her first choice.

The corners of his eyes crinkled in happiness. “Aye, lass, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

Her heart clenched at his words, tears pricked the corner of her eyes. In that moment, with Killian there, she felt like everything was going to be okay, she felt like she was going to make it after all.

* * *

The first week that they shared the apartment was awkward at best. She’d spend most of her adolescence sharing a space with Killian, but they never had a three-month-old in that mix. Not to mention the apartment contained only one bedroom, which meant that Killian had to take the couch. Not that he actually complained.

It had taken Killian no time to convince his boss at the record store to hire him back and he’d picked up another job in the mornings at the docks. At first, she had tried to just get him to pay for his half of rent, utilities, and groceries. She wanted to take care of Henry on her own, even if it meant she couldn’t afford other things for herself.

After the first month, Killian had put his foot down which lead to one of the biggest fights they had ever had. In the end, Killian explained to her that they were in this together, that the reason he was here was to help her and to take care of Henry. After many tears and apologies she finally agreed, much to his delight.

Living with Killian was simple, it was easy. It was something she never expected.

* * *

It was a faint hum that pulled Emma from her sleep. Rolling over in her bed, her eyes sought out the form of her son only to realize he was not in his crib. She darted up from her bed, eyes widening in alarm. There was no way someone could have broken into the house with her or Killian realizing it. So, it made no sense that her five-month-old son was not where he was supposed to be.

Yanking her bedroom door open, she took one step into the living room before her heart stopped in her chest. In front of her, Killian paced the floor while holding Henry to his bare chest, his hand gently rubbing his little back. As he paced, Killian hummed lightly under his breath and it was obvious that was why Henry was sound asleep.

Tears formed in her eyes. This was everything she had ever wanted for her son, for herself. Killian had stepped in and provided for them like Henry was his own, like they were a family. She couldn’t ask for a better father for her son, because that was what Killian was...Henry’s father. At least, he was in every way that counted.

Killian turned, his eyes meeting hers as she wiped the unleashed tears. His lips turned up in a gentle smile.

“Hey.” He whispered the words so that Henry would not wake.

“Hi.” The words caught in her throat as she tried to bite back her emotions.

Killian made his way toward her, a slight bounce in his step. It was the same way she walked when Henry was in her arms. “The wee lad woke and was hungry. You looked so peaceful, I thought I would take care of it for you.”

She reached out and ran her finger over Henry’s forehead. “Thank you.”

Her words were simple, but held much more meaning to them. She wasn’t just thanking him for taking care of Henry. It was for the last month. It was for reminding her that she could do this, that she was just as strong and resourceful as she’d always been.

He nodded, then tilted his head toward her bedroom door. “I’m going to go lie him back down. Care to join me, love.”

She smiled before following him into her room. Standing back, she watched as Killian placed Henry gently back into his crib. Her heart thumped widely in her chest. It was amazing how right this all look to her. Like Killian was meant to be there, meant to be in this room putting her son to sleep. She realized, in that moment, she didn’t want him to leave. She wanted to take comfort in those arms in the same way Henry had.

As he made his way back toward the door and to his space on the couch, her hand shot out and stopped him.

“Stay.”

His eyes widened in alarm as they searched her face for a hint of something. She reached down and entwined her fingers with his before tugging him toward the bed. They settled quickly, his front to her back, his arm around her waist. It was the most secure she’d felt in months, and she tried not to dwell on the new feelings swirling in her stomach, tried not to dwell on how things were about to change.

Right now, she wanted to enjoy the moment. She was entitled to at least that much.

* * *

From that moment on Killian slept in bed with her. More often than not, he was the one to wake when Henry would start whining in the middle of the night and more often than not, she would wake to find Killian in the living room humming softly to Henry.

Each and every time it happened, it became harder and harder to ignore the feelings inside of her. She just needed to make sure that he planned on staying because deep inside, she was still that lost little girl waiting for everyone to leave her.

She just hoped Killian was going to prove her wrong.

* * *

It happened just before Henry turned a year old. Killian had been living with them for nine months, he’d been sleeping in her bed for four, and he had made it perfectly clear that he had no plans of leaving anytime soon.

Killian was in the shower. Henry crawled around on the floor while she folding laundry. It was a peaceful evening, something she’d grown quite fond of lately. A knock on the door caused her to jump slightly. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Who would come over this late? It wasn’t like the two of them had a large group of friends and, besides, all of their friends knew they liked to stay home with Henry on the evenings.

Another knock rang out through the apartment. Picking up Henry, she made her way to the front door. Opening the door, her heart stopped beating at the sight before her.

Neal fucking Cassidy.

Her mouth fell open, eyes blinking in surprise. Unconsciously, she pulled Henry tighter against her side. What the hell was he doing here?

“Hey, Ems.” His voice rang out through the empty hallway.

Her eyes hardened. “What are you doing here, Neal?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “I missed you. Figured I could come back and meet the little guy. Start back where we left off.”

She could feel the heat rising in her chest. How dare he? How dare he come back here and expect she would just be waiting on him. How…

Henry let out a squeal, his legs bouncing excitedly. His tiny, chubby arms reached out behind her as he opened his mouth. “Pa-pa, pa-pa, pa-pa!”

Suddenly, everything stopped. Her body twisted to see a shocked Killian behind her. Numbly, she sat Henry on the ground and he promptly made his way towards Killian repeating ‘pa-pa’ the whole way. A huge smile broke out across her face. His first words. Henry has spoken his first words and it was only fitting that they were directed at Killian, at the man who had been there for them in so many ways.

Killian reached down and pulled Henry into his arms. As soon as her son was able, he placed two tiny hands on Killian’s cheeks. “Pa-pa!”

She could see the unshed tears in Killian’s eyes as he smiled down at her son, at their son.

“Aye, wee lad. Papa’s here now.” He whispered with a kiss to Henry’s forehead.

It was then, in that happy family moment, that Neal decided to remind them of his presence.

“Excuse me? What the hell is going on here?” His voice boomed.

Emma turned toward him. He had no right to be here, no right to infringe on her family. “As you can see, Neal, Henry’s just said his first words to his father.”

Killian chose that moment to walk up next to her, his hand finding hers as soon as he was in place. “And now it is time for you to go, mate.”

Killian didn’t wait for Neal’s reply before he shut the door in her ex-boyfriend’s face. Neal must have gotten the message because he didn’t even try to knock on the door again.

“I’m sorry, love. I never…”

She placed a finger on Killian’s lips, halting his speech. She was more confident now than she’d ever been. She was in love with the man in front of her, with her best friend, and had been for awhile. Now, she was ready to take the next steps.

“I love you, Killian, and I couldn’t have asked for a better father for Henry.” She reached up to cup his cheek.

“Truly?” His words wobbled as he spoke them.

She nodded. “Truly.”

His free hand reached out and pulled her to him. “Then it’s a good thing I love you too, Emma Swan. I have since we were children.”

Her head tilted, lips reaching in search of his. She’d never thought she could have this, she never thought she could be so happy. She thanked the heavens above that Killian had come back for her all those months ago.

Next to her, Henry continued to repeat his new word over and over.

Everything she’d been through had led her to this moment, and she wouldn’t change a thing.

 


	3. Sounds Perfect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Follower Appreciation Prompt: 'i offer you my bed to sleep in bc our respective roommates are getting it on in your room and take the sofa to sleep on only i wake up back in my bed with your tiny body wrapped around me and damn me if it isn't the cutest thing i've ever seen' au

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by zengoalie . I hope you enjoy this! Please let me know what you think!
> 
> This is unbeta'ed. All mistakes are mine.

Killian shook his head, hair falling into his eyes as he shoved open the glass door of Misthaven Hall. He'd meant to be back hours earlier but, when he'd come by the hall after his last class of the day, Milah had been pacing in front of the door. He'd taken one look at her and slowly backed away before she'd noticed him. He had no desire to have a run-in with his ex-girlfriend, no desire to hear the many reasons she believed they should get back together, and no desire to deal with the fall out when she eventually realized he wasn't budging on his decision. Especially, almost six months later. So, he retreated to the library instead.

Once there, he'd found a quiet little alcove, pulled out his copy of  _Ulysses_ , and settled in. He hoped that, perhaps, he could get ahead on the assigned reading for his British Lit class. It had been a bloody marvelous plan, until the novel proved to be a bit interesting. In other words, he'd lost track of time. Hence the late hour of his return and his rush to get to his dorm. His shoulder slammed into the corner as he rounded into the hallway. He hoped Scarlet was already asleep. He was in no mood to deal with his mate's behavior this late into the night. All he wanted to do was fall into his bed and sleep.

As soon as he made it around the corner, he noticed her sitting, legs crossed under her, in front of the door to his dorm room. Not that noticing her was something out of the ordinary for him. No, she was always the first thing he noticed when walking into a room. Her blonde curls flowed down her back as she leaned forward, nose in a Criminal Law textbook. Next to her sat a cup of, what he knew to be, hot chocolate and cinnamon with an open spiral notebook where she was scribbling notes. Suddenly, he wasn't so tired. No, suddenly, he was very very awake.

Emma was the other reason he'd avoided Milah earlier that evening. The coupling of their respective roommates had thrown the two of them together on more than one occasion. Over the last six months since his break up with Milah, he'd come to think of Emma as a friend, as someone he could count on, and, more specifically, as someone he most certainly had a crush on.

Since the day they had met, there had been this back and forth between them. This constant battle of who would get the upper hand. Breaking up with Milah had been the spark that had lead to something  _more_. That is, if you could count 'more' as hanging out and flirting continuously.

The problem was, Emma had walls a mile high. She'd had a rough childhood. She'd been hurt before. Outside of their mutual group of friends, Emma didn't trust anyone. Hell, sometimes she didn't trust within their group. It made for a complicated lass. A lass who in one minute would flirt right back with him, and in the next would avoid him for days. So he stuck with being her friend, with taking cold showers every time he left her presence. It was a pain in his arse, but he was determined to let her make the first move.

Reaching her, he crouched down to balance his weight on the balls of his feet. His bookbag slipped slightly from his shoulder, so he hauled it back up and waited for her to notice him.

"I know you are there, Killian. Is there something I can help you with?" She asked, a moment later, without lifting her eyes from the textbook.

"Perhaps I should ask the same of you, love. It is  _my_  door you are camped out in front of." He bounced forward slightly, lips forming a smirk.

She turned her head, her emerald eyes meeting his. "Well, it was  _your_  roommate who required some alone time with Ruby and took over my room."

His eyes widened in shock, hand dragging through the scruff on his chin. "Bloody hell." He muttered under his breath. "Again? That's the fourth time this week, love." His eyes softened apologetically.

Her eyes rolled, annoyance setting into her features. "I know! I can't even study in peace. They're going at it like rabbits."

"Aye. Bloody ridiculous it is." Reaching out, he grabbed her notebook and hot chocolate before rising to his feet. Shoving the notebook under his arm, his free hand shot into the air to help Emma up. "Up with ya, lass. You can take my bed again. I'll sleep on the sofa. I'm not sleepin on Scarlett's sheets. Wanker never bloody washes 'em."

Emma closed her book, her eyes twinkling brightly, and reached up to intertwine their fingers. She smiled, dare he say, coyly as she rose to her feet. "Thank you, Killian. You always seem to save me from a night in the common room."

Her words were honest and he tried to ignore his heart beating rapidly in his chest at the moment they seemed to be having. "It's nothing, love. Just bein a good friend is all."

"Yeah. You're a great friend." He almost missed the way her eyes dimmed just slightly, the way her smile seemed to falter as she squeezed his hand. But as soon as she noticed his staring, she seemed to bounce back. "Open the door, Jones." She grinned, bumping her hip into his. "Your bed is calling my name."

His heart stilled in his chest. Bloody hell. Did the lass have no idea what she was doing to him? Even though it was a pretty often occurance as of late... The thought of her in his bed, of her in his sheets, of their scents mixing together, had him half hard in a second. Emma Swan was going to be the death of him, that much he was sure of. He closed his eyes, trying to rein in his treacherous body, and propelled himself forward. He was in for one hell of a long night.

* * *

He woke to the smell of cinnamon, to the smell of Emma, and he had to bite back a groan. Without opening his eyes, he took a deep a deep breath and thanked whatever deity above that he was blessed to another morning of waking up to her scent permeating his dorm room. His only complaint was that he was facing yet another morning of hiding his very obvious arousal to Emma's prying eyes. Damn his bloody dreams.

It wasn't until he felt something in front of him shift, pressing backward into his groin, that he realized something about this morning was vastly different from every other. His eyes opened in an instant and were greeted with sight of Emma's body tucked into the length of him. His chin rested just above her head, his arm slung casually across her waist, their legs tangled underneath the single blanket he'd claimed before falling asleep the night before.

It was like every dream or fantasy he'd ever had regarding Emma Swan and it was that reason alone that kept him from moving, kept him from breathing. His eyes travelled the length of her, taking in the creases in her cheeks from sleeping, the way she slept with her lips slightly open, and finally her even breathing. Bloody hell. If this were a dream, he had no interest in wakin up.

Emma shifted once more, her arse brushing in just the  _right_  place, and he bit his cheek to keep from moaning out loud. Unconsciously, his fingers began tracing patterns on her hip where her shirt had ridden up. Her hand reached down to still his fingers at her hip as she shifted into him once more. He needed to wake her up and quickly.

"Emma…" He whispered into her ear and her shoulder came up to brush him away. "Emma, love, wake up." Her hand released his fingers and swatted in his direction before she cuddled back into him. His features softened. It wasn't every day he got to witness Emma being cute by refusing to wake. If only he had a guarantee that she would not kill him if she woke in his arms, he would let her sleep.

"Emma. Wake up." He shook her body, gently.

He could feel the moment she began to wake up, her breathing increasing just slightly. Her eyes fluttered, but she did not open them. To his surprise, she didn't pull away from him immediately.

"Killian." Her voice was hoarse from sleep, but he could detect a hint of annoyance. "Go back to sleep." She cuddled back into him, pulling his arm around her waist once more. Apparently, she was not a morning person.

He blinked several time, surprise etching into his features. "Emma, love, you're on the couch with me."

"I know." She huffed into the arm she was laying on.

His eyebrows furrowed. "I am afraid I do not follow, lass. Why exactly are you on the couch with me?"

With a groan she rolled her body towards his and met his gaze. "If I explain can we please go back to sleep?" The hint of exasperation in her tone had the corner of his lips lifting.

"Aye." He nodded, his hair falling into his eyes.

"You said my name while you were sleeping last night." She shrugged her shoulders. "I realized about a week ago that I was tired of playing this game with you, this back and forth. I like you, I'm pretty sure you like me, and I don't want to run anymore. I want to try to see where this goes." She bit her lip and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

He couldn't believe what he'd just heard. He couldn't believe… His body surged forward, his lips finding hers in the process. His hands moved to cup her cheeks as body aligned itself over hers. She was bloody intoxicating. Her lips parted and he took the invitation to deepen the kiss, his hips pressing her into the couch. The noises she made were maddening. He needed more of her, he needed… Her hands moved to the nape of his neck, pulling the hair gently. His lips followed his fingertips as they made a path from her cheeks, down her neck, and across her collarbone. Her hips thrusted up to meet his and he couldn't suppress the moan any longer.

He pulled away, resting his forehead on hers in an effort to slow everything down, and met her dazed look. "You like me?" He questioned, with a goofy grin.

She giggled, her fingers brushing the hair out of his eyes. "Yes. I like you." Her hand fell back to rest on the bed. "Now, can we please go back to bed." She pleaded, her lips forming a pout.

His laugh was rich as he leaned down and pecked her lips lightly. He moved his body astride her once more and pulled her into his arms. "Aye, love. That sounds perfect."


	4. While You Were Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N:Prompt: "You had a business trip and I missed you so much that I kind of tore up the house in your absence like a dog with separation anxiety… sorry?" AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for thejollypirate's birthday. Happy Happy Birthday Casey! I am so sorry it took me forever to get this to you. Dang muse just wouldn't cooperate!
> 
> Thank you to o-u-a-timer for looking this over!

_Friday Evening._

"So, when will you be back?" Emma sighed, her shoulders falling in displeasure as she bit her lip from her place next to him on their couch.

His hand reached out, fingers intertwined with hers. The corners of his lips lifted in a reassuring smile as his thumb ran gently across the back of her hand. "Sunday evening, love. I promise you, not a moment later." His free hand lifted and came to rest on her ever growing belly.

"You know they can come at any point now, right?" Her worried gaze met his own. "Twins come early all the time Killian, what if they decide to come this weekend while you are away?" He could see panic forming in her eyes, in her body, and squeezed her hand to subside it.

Sighing, his gaze locking on his wife's as she bit her lip. He knew it wasn't an ideal situation. Not only was Emma eight months pregnant, but she was eight months pregnant with twins. They'd been lucky thus far because the pregnancy had been a smooth one. Well, once she had gotten through the first trimester it had been smooth. She was correct, however, twins normally came early.

He wished he had another option, the last thing he wanted to do was leave his wife for the weekend so close to their due date. If his bloody brother would have realized that leaving for a vacation with his wife weeks before his niece and nephew were due was a horribly bad idea, he wouldn't even be in this dilemma. Alas, here he was. He had to close the Mills - Hood Shipyard merger and it had to be this weekend. He was just thankful that they had agreed to fly to New York to sign the final papers or he would've had to fly to England and leave Emma for longer.

Yanking on their joined hands, he pulled Emma towards him. She came willingly, tucking herself into his side as well as she could. His fingertips traveled the length of her arm as she wound hers around his waist. Turning his head, he buried his nose into her hair and closed his eyes. Gods above, he wished he could stay. "If they decide to come this weekend, I will stop at nothing to be by your side as soon as I am able." He placed his thumb under her chin and tilted her head to meet his. "You must know, darling, if I could avoid this I would. I want nothing more than to be by your side so close to our big day."

She nodded her head, eyes softening on understanding. "I know. I am just being hormonal. It's only the weekend. I'll be fine. Promise."

"There's my Swan." He smiled as his hand combed through her locks. Everything would be fine. He would go to this damned meeting and then he would return home to his lass. They still had four weeks and so far she'd shown no signs of going into labor early. There was nothing he needed to be worried about. Nothing at all.

* * *

 

_Saturday Morning._

Emma's lips turned into a frown at the scene in front of her, the scene she was responsible for. Exhaling, she combed her fingers through her hair. Killian had left early that morning with a kiss to her forehead, a gentle hand pressed into her stomach, and a promise to be back as soon as he possibly could. She had woken up to a text message from him and he had promised to text her later that evening, but that had been five hours ago. Five hours and she missed him already. So much so that she was resisting the urge to get into the bug and drive the six hours to New York, to drive the six hours to her husband.

Rolling her eyes, she reached for the bowl to her left and placed it into the pile in front of her. She knew she couldn't go to New York. Being eight months pregnant during a six hour drive wasn't the best of ideas. Instead, she'd decided to make room in the kitchen for all of the baby items they'd received at the shower. Which brought her to the mess in front of her. What had started out as a simple task of putting the necessary bottles, bibs, bottle warmer, bottle cleaners, and making room for the high chair they would eventually need had turned into her taking literally everything out of all the cabinets to clean and organize them.

Now, the contents of her kitchen were spread out before her. There were random piles of plates lying all over. Groups of cups, silverware, pots and pans were placed everywhere. Then, there were the odd items that she'd just flung on the floor and left them where they had landed. There was stuff everywhere and she didn't even know how to begin to pick it up. But she needed to begin. Four weeks not not that much time. Not when there was so much to do, so much to prepare for. Twins meant double… well, double  _everything._  They were nowhere near ready for this adventure…

Wiping her brow, Emma let her shoulders sag slightly. Her eyes traveled across the mess in her kitchen. Perhaps, she should return to this later when she wasn't tired and the babies were not kickin up a storm. Pushing off of the floor with her hands, she wobbled to her feet. The shear size of her stomach made it a very difficult task.

Once standing, she yawned while making her way to the bedroom. A nap definitely sounded like a good idea.

* * *

 

_Saturday Night._

Cocking her head to the side, Emma narrowed her eyes while placing her hands on her stomach. She had just finished texting Killian for the night and was ready to settle into bed. Speaking of settling into bed...She rocked back and forth on her feet as she stared at the offending bed in front of her. They had been meaning to buy a new one as their current full size bed was beginning to be too small. Once the babies arrived, there would be no room in the bed for all of them to fit.

Not to mention, she hated the bed frame. It was this horrible metal contraption that squeaked everytime her or Killian shifted while they were sleeping or involved in other  _activities._ It was annoying and… She rubbed her belly. Yep, it needed to go. Turning quickly, she made her way to the garage to find a screw driver.

An hour later found Emma sitting in the middle of her bedroom. The offensive bed frame was leaning against the wall and the mattress sat simply in the middle of the room. Stretching her neck, Emma felt her body relax. There, now they could go get a new bed as soon as Killian returned. Crawling over to the mattress, she wasted no time and positioned herself under the covers. After laying there for a moment, her eyes snapped open. Wrestling herself into a sitting position, a frown formed on her face as she remembered the condition she'd left the kitchen in earlier. She'd meant to go back and finish the job, but once she'd woken from her nap she'd been too sore and felt a nice bath was in order.

The last thing she wanted to do was to go back into the kitchen and clean it. No. It was too late and she was too tired. Running her hand down her face, she shifted her body to lay back down.

Her last thought before falling asleep was that she would get to it tomorrow as soon as she woke up.

* * *

 

_Sunday Morning._

Waking up without Killian next to her was an odd experience for Emma. In the eight years they'd been together, it had only happened a handful of times. Normally, Liam was the one who handled out of town business and Killian took care of things on the Storybrooke end. So, when she'd managed to fling herself onto her side, after tossing and turning all night trying to find a comfortable position, only to find Killian's side of the bed empty and cold, it was a bit of a surprise.

Her hand ran over her belly to sooth the children playing football inside. "Come on, guys." Her words came out in a groan as she pulled herself off of the bed.

Biting her lip, she checked her phone and couldn't help the grin that formed when she saw that Killian had texted her. Then, she remembered that she needed to go down stairs and clean the kitchen. The mess from yesterday was still there. As she moved down the hallway into the living room, her eyes landed on the boxes that contained the identical swings David and Mary Margaret had gotten them.

Seeing the boxes caused her to stop in the middle of the living room. Where were they going to put those things? Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to imagine how she was going to fit two baby swings in their living room. If she moved the couch to where the chair was and the chair to the loveseat and then the loveseat to where the couch was….

A smile formed on her lips. Perfect. They could put a swing in-between the couch and loveseat as well as between the couch and chair. It was the best solution she could figure out and, as an added bonus, they would be able to see both babies from the kitchen.

She nodded her head moving toward the chair. Looks like it was time to move some furniture around.

* * *

 

_Sunday Afternoon._

Her damp hair dripped water onto her shirt as she walked out into the hallway. Moving the furniture had seemed like a splendid plan until she'd gotten about halfway through. At that point, she had gotten so light headed and overheated that she'd had to sit down on the couch that was positioned in the middle of the living room.

After about ten minutes, she'd been able to get up and had decided a shower was definitely in order. What in the hell had she been thinking? Moving around furniture while she was eight months pregnant. Now, all of her furniture was in the middle of the living room and she had no way to get it back into its place.

All she wanted to do this weekend was to get ahead of everything that was coming in the next four weeks and all she had managed to do was create an even bigger mess around the house. She hadn't even made it back to the kitchen or their bedroom yet. Maybe she should just go watch some tv until Killian came home… Except she couldn't, because of the couch. Great.

She couldn't just sit here. Her hands twisted in front of her body as she walked down the hallway. The doorknob to the nursery caught her eye and moments later, she twisted it and walked into the room.

Her eyes gazed over the still white walls, the pictures sitting propped up on the floor, the boxes with the crib parts in them. She felt tears prick the corners of her eyes. Even the nursery wasn't finished. Nothing was ready. Her legs shook as she sank to the floor. In four weeks she was going to be a mother, Killian a father, and they had done nothing to get ready for this. They couldn't even get their house baby ready… How were they going to get their lives baby ready?

* * *

 

_Sunday Night._

Killian hoisted his overnight bag over his shoulder as he walked through the front door of his home. He was looking forward to being back, to having his wife in his arms once more. It had been a long weekend and even though they had texted frequently, he hadn't actually spoken to her since Saturday morning. Which was something he intended to fix right away.

Leaving his bag in the foyer, he moved into the kitchen for a quick drink of water and stopped dead in his tracks. Every single item that was meant to be in the cabinets was sitting on their kitchen floor. Everything… The bowls, the plates, the cups, the pots, the pans,  _everything_  was on the floor. A single eyebrow arched as his lips parted in shock. What the bloody hell was going on?

He continued to walk through the kitchen, dodging various item on the way, and made it to the living room. This time his eyes blinked in surprise, his head tilting to the side as disbelief settled on his face. It looked as though Emma had attempted to move all of the furniture only to stop halfway through.

He combed his fingers through his hair. Bloody hell. He'd only been gone for a day and a half and somehow during that time Emma had decided to redecorate the entire house. Except, she'd stopped halfway through. He shook his head and moved toward the hallway. He needed to find Emma and figure out why she hadn't just waited until he'd returned.

In the hallway, he could hear the faint sound of sobbing and his heart immediately clenched in his chest.

"Emma?" He called out only to be met with silence.

Worried, he shuffled quickly down the hall until he stopped in front of what was meant to be the nursery. Through the crack in the door, he was able to see Emma's form. She was sitting on the floor with her legs in a criss cross position dressed in her flannel pajamas, her shoulders were quivering.

Pushing the door open, he darted to her quickly and joined her on the floor. His arms wrapped around her from behind and he pulled her back toward his chest. Relief flooded his system at the feeling of her in his arms, but it was quickly diminished by the worry he felt from seeing her crying. It had been months since he'd seen her so upset and he needed to know what had her so distraught.

"Emma, love, what is going on? Why are you crying?" She turned and buried her face into his chest.

"It's stupid. I'm overreacting. Ignore me." Her words shook as she spoke, but she managed a smile through her tear. "I'm just glad you are home now."

Gently, he kissed her hair. "You are not stupid. Talk to me, love. When I left yesterday morning, you were fine and now I come back to a destroyed house and a crying wife."

She pulled herself out of his arms and shrugged her shoulders. "Everything  _was_  fine. Until I realized we had so much to do to get ready for the twins. I thought… Well, I thought I could just do some of the stuff on my own." She looked down at the carpet. "I quickly realized I was too pregnant or too tired or both. Then, I thought...If I can't get the damned house ready for the babies how am I going to get ready to be a mom?" Her shoulders sagged as she finished speaking.

His heart clenched as he reached out and pulled her back into his chest. "Emma, that is simply not true my love. You are going to be a wonderful mother. Stop being ridiculous. Tis not your fault we have waited this long to get prepared. Time just crept up on us." He lifted her chin and met her gaze. "We will be wonderful parents. I promise you this."

The corner of her mouth lifted into a small smile. "You really think so?"

Leaning forward, he kissed her nose. "Aye. I really think so. Now, how about we leave all of this stuff where it is at and tomorrow I will fix everything while you sit on the couch and rest. Something you should have been doing instead of moving around furniture, love."

Guilt formed in her eyes and he watched as she bit her lip. "I know. I'm sorry. I was just trying to keep myself occupied."

"I know. Now, how does bed sound?"

She nodded her head in agreement. "Sounds amazing."

He shifted so one arm was behind her back and the other under her legs before standing up completely. The action caused her to shriek and he felt the chuckle as it escaped his mouth.

"Killian! Put me down!" She wrapped her arms around his neck as he winked.

"Nope! I've missed having you in my arms and I do not intend on letting you leave them until the morning." He crinkled his nose, his eyes shining in mirth.

Reaching the bedroom door, he used his foot to toe it open and once again stopped in his tracks.

"Emma?" His tone was flat as he met her sheepish gaze. "Why is the bed taken apart and the mattress in the middle of the bedroom?"

She bit her lip as he exhaled slowly. One thing was for certain… He was never leaving Emma alone in the house again. It was not worth the mess he returned to.


	5. The Right Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Follower Appreciation Prompt: 'my friend set me up on a blind date and i can't really refuse because they think i've been single for ages so they think they're doing me a favour and we have a massive fight about it that ends with us saying "i love you" for the first time' au

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by the-lady-of-misthaven . I hope you enjoy this! Please let me know what you think!
> 
> Thank you to o-u-a-timer for the quick beta!
> 
> This one goes a bit into the M territory. Not to much though.

"What do you mean you have a date?"

Exhaling, Emma closed her eyes. His voice was restrained, as if he were trying to control his anger. She didn't even need to look at him to know that he was glaring at her with his jaw clenched and a single eyebrow arched. Why was he making such a big deal out of this? It was nothing, absolutely nothing. It wasn't as though she actually wanted to go on a date this Walsh guy, but she couldn't turn Ruby down.

Releasing the hair from her curling iron, she placed the item on the bathroom counter and wished, not for the first time, that she could just be honest with her friend about her relationship with Killian. It was just… How do you tell your best friend, the person who has stood by you through everything, the person who might as well be your sister, that you have been dating her ex-boyfriend.

For eight months.

She had been dating Killian behind Ruby's back for eight months, dating her best friend's ex for eight months. It wasn't like they had gotten together right after Killian had broken up with Ruby. No, they had been broken up for six months when Killian and her had gotten drunk one night and kissed. Keeping it a secret had seemed like a good idea at the time, especially when Ruby kept getting that far away look in her eyes every time they hung out as a group and Killian was there. Besides, it wasn't like they'd knew how serious it was going to get or how much they would come to mean to each other.

So now, eight months later, Ruby had no idea she had a boyfriend and had thought it was a grand idea to set Emma up on a date with her new friend Walsh. A date that she couldn't refuse unless she came clean and that was not something she wanted to do… yet. She wanted to ease Ruby into the idea, not just dump it on her.

Biting her lip, she turned her body toward his. Her heart clenched, her lips forming a thin line, as she took him in. He was dressed in dark wash jeans, a black v-neck t-shirt, and his always present scuffed black combat boots. She knew she would find his leather jacket laying across her bed if she looked. His dark hair was disheveled and his cheeks were covered in three day scruff. He looked like sin and she wanted nothing more than to…

She shook her head to rid herself of such thoughts. Now was not the time. Not when she could see the tension in his shoulders, in the way his hands gripped his biceps as his crossed arms rested on his chest. She shrugged her shoulders while combing her fingers through her hair.

"It's not a date, Killian. Not really. You know I only want to be with you. Ruby asked and…"

"Ruby?" He interrupted with a gasp. He shook his head back and forth as his gaze drifted to the ceiling. "Now this all makes sense."

She took a step towards him and lifted her hand to rest on his crossed arms. "See, I told you there was nothing to worry about."

Her eyes widened in shock as he stepped out of her reach into her bedroom. "Nothing to worry about, you say." His words contained a hint of disbelief as he ran his hands through his hair. "So I shouldn't be worried that my girlfriend, the lass I've spent the last eight bloody months with, would rather go out on a date than be honest with her mates about me? About us?" His eyebrow rose as he flung the words at her.

Her jaw dropped. She tried to come up with some sort of explanation, something to ease his mind, but the words died in her throat as his eyes bore into hers. She took a step forward to close the distance between them only to have Killian take another step back. Her heart was pounding rapidly in her chest as her stomach twisted. This was not how the night was supposed to go. This was not….

She watched as Killian yanked his leather jacket off of the bed and turned to make his way toward the door. Why was this spiraling out of control?

"Killian please." She all but choked the words out. "You have to know I want to tell Ruby, just at the right time."

"The right time!" He whirled toward her with his arms out. "Bloody hell, Emma! Ruby and I ended our dalliance over a year ago! You and I have been together twice as long as her and I." His shoulders sagged as the fight seemed to go out of him. "I can't do this anymore. I am tired of lying, of hiding."

Her heart skipped a beat as he strode forward and cupped her cheek. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes and she pressed her cheek harder against his palm. Her lip trembled as he brushed his thumb across it gently. This couldn't be happening. Didn't he know how much he met to her, how happy she'd been since she had finally found him?

He leaned forward and rested his forehead on hers. "I want to be able to walk down the street holding your hand, to take you to breakfast at Granny's and not worry about sitting next to each other." His voice choked slightly on the whispered words. Her hand rose to rest a top of his on her cheek as her tears began to fall. "I love you so much, Emma Swan, and I want the world to know it."

Her eyes closed, a gasp escaping her throat, as his words washed over her. They'd never said the words. Hearing them from Killian was… It was everything she never knew she wanted.

Her eyes snapped open while her heart thumped rapidly in her chest. He loved her. Her hands snaked around his neck to tangle in his hair. He loved her. She pressed her body forward as she rose to her tip-toes. He loved her. Her lips curled into a soft smile and she felt her breathing increase. He loved her.

"You love me?" Her voice wobbled from nervousness.

His eyes softened, arms falling to encircle her waist. "Aye. More than anything, love."

She nodded her head. "That's good...because I… I love you too, Killian."

Before she could finish speaking, he surged forward. She yelped in surprise as his lips captured hers. His fingertips traced lightly across her stomach and she could feel the heat of them through her leather dress. The kiss lasted seconds and, before she knew it, he pulled away to meet her gaze.

"Bloody hell, love. Do not tease me. I've waited far too long to hear those words from you. I do not wish to hear them if you feel even one single ounce of doubt." His hands squeezed her hips.

"I love you and I am telling Ruby tomorrow. I'm tired of hiding, too."

This time, she pressed her lips to his and it was only moments before his tongue grazed her bottom lip. Groaning, she opened her mouth and allowed him to deepen their kiss. She felt light and happy. She felt whole.

Killian took a step forward, leading with his hips, and guided her until her legs collided with her bed. She tilted her head to the side, sucking on his lip, and he growled in response. She needed… His hands fisted in her hair and he tugged her head further to the side to reveal her neck to him. Yes, this was… His lips trailed open mouth kisses along her jaw to her neck and her hands clenched his shirt.

"Bloody hell, Emma." He murmured the words into her collarbone. "I love you so bloody much."

She grinned against his mouth. "I love you, too."

Hearing him say the words again ignited something in her and desire spiked through her. She wanted to be closer to him, to feel his chest against the skin of her breasts, to feel the warmth that only he could provide. She lifted the edge of his shirt and pulled upward.

Stepping out of her space, he laughed knowingly. "Impatient are we, love?" He pulled his shirt over his head and threw it across the room.

"You have no idea." Her fingers raked through the hair on his chest.

His mouth found her collarbone and he sucked gently on the skin there before moving to her ear. "Oh, I think I do, darling. You are intoxicating, Emma. I can't get enough of you." His hands moved to the zipper of her dress. "I think you may be a bit overdressed for the occasion, lass. Let me fix that for you."

Her breath caught in her throat as he pulled the zipper down slowly. Once the task was complete, he slid the garment off her shoulders and let it pool on the floor. Her hands fell to his belt and she tugged it loose as quickly as she could. Her head buzzed with the effects of his kisses, with the knowledge of his feelings for her.

After removing his boots, Killian allowed his pants to fall to the floor and she bit her lip at the sight of his tented boxers. This wasn't the first time they would sleep together, but this was different. I love you so much, Emma Swan. His words echoed in her head. Yes. This was very different.

His eyes met her's and she was overwhelmed by the love she found in them. His hands danced up her side to brush the underside of her bra-covered breast before resting with his thumb on her cheek and his fingers behind her ear. He moved forward until she felt him on every inch of her exposed skin.

She resisted the urge to wrap her arms around him and pull him down on the bed with her. She watched as Killian's tongue moved to the top of his mouth. It was a telltale sign that he had something on his mind and was trying to find a way to say it. Her hands rose to rest on his chest.

"Killian, what are you thinking about?" Her words were a soft murmur.

He took a deep breath and exhaled. "I apologize for my behavior this evening, love. It was bad form of me to get so upset with you."

Her eyes widened in surprise. Wasn't it her fault they had gotten into an argument in the first place? Not that she regretted it because it had lead her to this… To a place where Killian Jones loved her.

Her fingers flexed through his chest hair. "Don't apologize. I should have never agreed to the date. It was wrong of me to expect you to keep us a secret for so long and to expect you to be okay with me going on a date. I'm the one who is sorry."

He kissed her nose and she felt her body sway into his. "That may be, love, but I should've never raised my voice. You didn't deserve it."

She rolled her eyes and pressed a kiss over his heart before pulling away to meet his gaze once more. "Killian, stop. I love you."

"And I you, lass." He voice was full of nothing but honesty and her heart flip-flopped in her chest.

"Good. Now, can we finish what we started? Take me to bed, Jones." The corner of her mouth lifted in a smirk and she shot a wink in his direction.

His arms wrapped around her and he pulled her tighter against him. "As you wish, love."

Her laugh rang throughout her bedroom as he dragged her to the bed with him. As she settled against his side with his lips finding her, she knew that everything would work out. As long as she had Killian and his love, she had everything she ever wanted.


	6. For You, Anything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N Follower Appreciation Prompt: You found me crying on the kitchen floor in the middle of the night surrounded by a shattered jelly jar AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by mayquita. I hope you enjoy this! Please let me know what you think!
> 
> This is unbeta'ed. All mistakes are mine.
> 
> (This is the first thing I have written in weeks. It is a little rough!)

Grasping the quilt in his hand, Killian's eyes blinked open only to encounter the blackness of their bedroom. He had been sleeping on his stomach, easily his most preferred position next to having Emma wrapped in his arms and his hands splayed over her ever growing belly, when he'd reached out to find her side of the bed empty, cold and empty. Creases formed on his forehead. Bloody hell, how had he missed her getting out of the bed? He glanced at the alarm clock across the room, its glaring red numbers read two o'clock in the morning and he shook his head to wake himself up fully.

It had been a long week. Emma was nearing the end of her pregnancy and was having trouble getting comfortable enough to sleep. It seemed that no matter what he did, he was unable to soothe her enough to provide her the rest she so desperately needed. Running his hand through his hair, he pulled his body from the warmth of the bed and reached for the white t-shirt he had flung to the floor the night before.

On top of Emma not getting any rest, she had come down ill several days ago. It was likely caused by her running around in the forest at some bloody awful hour searching for lost boys gone rogue. He had tried to insist he be the one to take the call, but she had glared at him and and muttered something about being 'pregnant, not invalid' and he knew it would be best to leave her alone.

His bare feet padded softly down the hallway as his eyes scanned for any evidence of life in the old house. He only stopped for a moment, to peek in on Henry sleeping in his room, before deciding he needed to extend his search to the main floor. He knew he was on the right track once he reached the base of the stairs and saw the faint light glowing from the kitchen.

His body relaxed as he released a breath he didn't even know he was holding. Even three years after their bouts with the darkness, he still had to remind himself that she was safe, that he was safe, and that they were together. There were some nights he would wake, drenched in sweat, from the images in his mind and the fear that he had lost her in the underworld.

His fist clenched at his side as he stopped moving just before the entrance to the kitchen. His eyes fluttered closed for a moment as he reminded himself that everything was as it should be. She was here, she was in the house, she was right where she belonged. Well, perhaps not right where she belonged. She certainly should be cocooned in his embrace upstairs.

Opening his eyes, he propelled his feet forward so that he was fully in the kitchen. She was dressed in one of his simple, old black linen shirts from his pirating days. Her almost nine month pregnant belly was quite obvious as she sat with her legs crossed on the kitchen floor. Her hair was in a long braid, similar to Elsa's from all those years ago. She looked beautiful and he thanked the gods that he was lucky enough to have her in his life.

His lips fell into a frown as he noticed the way her shoulders shook, the way her hand came up to wipe the space under her eyes. He didn't need to see her face to know she was upset about something.

"Emma, love, what's the matter?" His confused voice rang out in an otherwise silent house.

Her head whipped in his direction, eyes widening as silent tears continued to fall. "Killian?"

He strode forward until he was able to crouch in front of her, his hand immediately reached out to caress her stomach. "It everything alright?" He searched her face for any indication that something was amiss. "Is Liam okay? Do we need…"

His words trailed off as she waved her hand in the air and shook her head. "No, no. I'm fine, we're fine."

He furrowed his eyebrows together in confusion. "Then, perhaps you would like to enlighten me as to why you are crying in the kitchen during the middle of the night?"

She shrugged her shoulders a small smile forming on her lips. "Liam woke me up and I decided to get a glass of water. Only I wanted a jelly sandwich too. Only, when I tried to make it I couldn't get the jar open and well, you know my magic has been acting up since we found out about Liam and now I am sick and well…"

His eyes followed hers as she glanced at the floor. It was then, that he noticed the broken jelly jar, the shards of glass besides it, and the jelly residing on the ground. His eyes darted to hers as fear gripped low in his stomach. "Bloody hell, are you hurt Emma? Did you cut yourself?"

"No." She shook her head. "I already told you I am fine."

He tilted his head. Why was she crying in she were not injured? "Love, I'm afraid I do not follow. If you were not harmed," His finger wiped a tear from her cheek. "then why are you crying?"

"Honestly?"

He gave her an encouraging nod and smile.

"That was the last of the jelly. Now it is ruined and I am still hungry." She looked at him sheepishly.

Laughter bubbled in his chest. Here he was worried something serious had occurred and she was just upset over her jelly. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, he grinned in her direction before rising to his feet. Reaching down, he offered his own hand in order to pull her safely to her feet before making his way to the pantry.

"You are in luck, Emma Swan." Opening the cabinet, he reached far into to back and pulled out the object of her current desire. "I may have just sent Henry to the market earlier because I knew you were almost out of your beloved jelly."

A shocked gasp sounded from her lips and the next thing he knew, she was in his arms and her lips were on his. The jar of jelly was squished in between her belly and his, but it did not matter as their bodies melted into each other. He would never tire of kissing this woman. Ever.

"I love you, Killian." She whispered, pulling away.

He chased her lips with his own. "And I, you, my love." He pressed one more kiss to her waiting lips. "Now, how about we get you that jelly sandwich. Can't have my lad going hungry." His hand rose once again to rest on her belly.

She nodded, giggling. "Only if you open the jar this time."

He pulled her to his chest and wrapped his arms around her. "For you, anything."

He buried his nose in her hair, his eyes drifted shut.

Anything.


	7. Just Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N Follower Appreciation Prompt: 'we are both teachers and our students ship us' au

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by in-spirational and once-uponacaptain. I hope you enjoy this! Please let me know what you think!
> 
> This is unbeta'ed. All mistakes are mine.

Sighing, Emma combed her fingers through her honey locks. Her eyes scanned the expanse of her classroom and all of the students in it. She wasn't surprised that they had somehow reached this topic. They somehow reached this topic everyday during her senior class period. This was the class she had the closest bond with, the class she looked forward to everyday, and what had been a simple question about their weekends had turned into how she spent her own.

And that had turned into Chris Faulkner questioning if her and 'Mr. Jones' had seen each other over the weekend. She shook her head. The kid had it in his head that her and Killian were dating. Which was simply not true. Well, not really, or not officially, or not …

"Nope. Mr. Jones was out of town this weekend." She shrugged her shoulders and returned to taking attendance.

"So you would have seen him if he had been in town then? That's so cute!" Alyssa's voice called out from the other side of the room.

The pencil stilled in her hand. "Wait. I never said that." She bit her lip and shook her head fervently. "Guys. Mr. Jones and I are just friends. That's it."

Chris shot her a bored look. "Seriously? You eat lunch together everyday. He carries your bag for you every morning and when you leave. You sit together at every assembly and… and… and he brings you hot chocolate every morning."

Emma's eyes widened. "How do you know he brings me hot chocolate?"

She followed Chris's eyes to the Starbucks cup on her desk. "Your cup says 'Swan.' Why would you call yourself that?"

She opened her mouth to retort, but was interrupted by a knock on her door. Conner walked over to the door and a moment later Killian appeared.

"Sorry to interrupt, Miss Swan. Seeing as my class is completing the AiR testing I had this period free. I thought I ought to procure our lunch. Granny's still okay, love?"

Her cheeks flushed as she felt every single set of eyes in her classroom on her. Damn him and his damn timing. He just had to pick this very moment to finalize their lunch plans, didn't he?

She nodded her head in affirmation. "That's… that's fine. Thank you, Mr. Jones."

Killian's smile reached his eyes as he waved her off. "Tis nothing, lass. See you in a bit."

Killian winked as he backed out of the classroom. The door closed behind him with a soft thud and once again it was just her and her students.

"Just friends, huh?" Chris stared at her, his eye raised.

Emma swallowed. "Just friends."

He didn't believe her, not even a little bit. It was the smirk that tipped her off, the smirk and the twinkle in his eyes. Chris rolled his eyes.

"Okay, Miss Swan. Just friends. For the record though, you two would make a cute couple." The other students nodded their heads in agreement.

Ignoring them, she sat the attendance book down on her desk. "Okay enough about me. Someone tell me how to balance the chemical equation on the board."

The students groaned as they took their notes out from the day before and began working on the assignment. She couldn't dwell on her relationship with Killian or her student's comments. Lunch was in thirty minutes and they had a lot to cover.

* * *

The thing was… She didn't know how to define her relationship with Killian Jones.

Since meeting Killian four years ago on her first day at Storybrooke High, he'd become something of a fixture in her life. Other than her brother and his wife, Killian had become the one person she could count on.

Her students were right, at work they did everything together. It wasn't just at work though, it happened in their personal lives to. Like the way Killian had made it a point to come over and shovel the newly fallen snow last weekend or when he'd shown up with soup after he found out she had the flu two weeks ago. More often than not they ended up spending Saturday nights binge watching Dr. Who before they both fell asleep on the couch.

It was like they were in a relationship. Only, there was no kissing, no holding hands, no cuddling. It was like they were in a relationship…

Only, they weren't.

* * *

Shaking his head to rid his hair of the snowflakes, Killian pulled open the door to Storybrooke High. He'd been running late this morning. The line at the bloody coffee shop hadn't helped matters either, but he'd been unwilling to arrive to work without Emma's beverage. He'd brought her hot chocolate every morning since they'd become friends four years ago and he wasn't going to start now.

Rounding into her classroom, his eyes landed on Emma back as she wrote on the dry erase board. Seeing as it was Friday, she was dressed simply in jeans and a Storybrooke High t-shirt. Her hair hung in loose curls to the middle of her back as she bit her bottom lip in concentration. She looked beautiful, but she always did.

"Hot chocolate delivery." He held the cup in the air as he cleared his throat.

She turned quickly, her eyes bright and warm as she walked toward him. "There you are! Cutting it a little close, Jones?"

He shrugged. "The line at Starbucks was long this morning." He handed the beverage over to her with a smile on his lips.

"You didn't have to stop and get this if it was going to make you even more late, Killian." He voice was soft, unsure, and wanted nothing more than to reassure her that he liked doing these things for her.

"I know…" He took a step forward, invading her space, and tucked a lock behind her ear gently. "but I coundn't deprive you of your morning chocolate fix, love."

She leaned to rest her shoulder on the whiteboard, a small smile formed. "Well, my students thank you and so do I."

He wanted to reach forward and pull her body to his, he wanted to kiss her, but he didn't. He couldn't. They were friends. Even if he wanted to be more.

The bell rang, signaling the beginning of their day, and he tilted his head in Emma's direction. "Until lunch, m'lady."

She giggled and shook her head. "Thank you again for the hot chocolate, Killian. Even if it almost made you miss the bell."

He walked backwards toward the door. "It was worth it, if only to see your smile, love."

He ducked out of the room before she could respond, but did not miss the way her eyes widened at his words nor did he miss the way Chris Faulkner gave him two thumbs up and shot him a knowing look before the student proceeded into Miss Arendelle's room.

Killian shook his head at the young man's antics as he made his way to his own classroom. That boy was way too interested in Emma and his lives together outside of work.

Not that they actually had a life together.

* * *

He wanted that though. A life together. In fact, he never wanted anything more.

Since the moment Emma Swan had walked into their teacher work day four years ago, he'd been entranced by her and the more time they'd spent together, the more he realized that he actually liked her.

He liked the way she crinkled her nose when he suggested Indian food for dinner, the way she rested her head on his shoulder while they watched Dr. Who, the way her eyes always found his in a room. Somehow, in the last four years, Emma Swan had turned into his best friend.

But, she was more than that. He'd realized he was in love with her close to two years ago. They'd been with her friends at his brother's bar celebrating the end of the school year. To say they both had drank a little too much would have been an understatement. They'd made it back to her flat by the end of the night and fallen asleep on the couch curled around each other.

Waking up the next morning beside Emma had been a life changing experience. It was in the moment, he knew he wanted to spend everyday making her smile and making her life. He wanted to spend everyday with Emma Swan for the rest of his life.

He was pretty sure she felt the same too. He was sure he'd seen the same longing in her eyes, the same want. In fact, he'd definitely seen it that morning when he dropped off her hot chocolate.

So, how do you ask your best friend if she was ready to be more?

* * *

Emma rolled her eyes as she trailed behind Chris in the school's hallway. This was the last time she would agree to tutor the kid on a Friday night. She wanted nothing more than to go home and wrapped herself up in a blanket while enjoying a bottle of wine. She just wished Killian would be there to join her.

Killian who had been conveniently absent from her life since last week. Not that she hadn't saw him. No, she'd seen him plenty at work and her hot chocolate has somehow always ended up waiting on her desk every morning when she'd arrived. But, there had been no text messages, no movie nights, no contact outside of work.

It irked her and… and it confused her. He'd become such a staple in her daily routine that she felt off balance from his absence. Hence why she wanted to go home, if only she could get Chris to agree to leave early.

She combed her fingers through her hair and sighed. "You know, Chris. We can just find the book Monday. I am not feeling so well and kind of feel like getting home early."

Chris turned, his shoulders falling in exasperation. "Come on Miss S! The library is literally right there. It will not take long, I promise."

He didn't even wait for her to reply before turning and making his way to the library doors in front of them. Groaning, she watched him slip inside the double doors and forced herself to move forward to follow.

The library was dark as the door closed behind her and she braced her hands out in front of her to make sure she did not run into anything. "Chris? Where are you?"

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, the lights in the room switched on and she was blinded momentarily. As her eyes adjusted, she realized that it wasn't just her and Chris in the library.

Her mouth fell open as she took in the rest of the students from her senior class. Chris stood on the end of the semicircle holding a red poster board with the words 'Emma Swan' written in what she knew to be Killian's elegant script. Next to him stood Alyssa, her poster covered in photos and next to her was Mariah, her poster. readed 'You are my best friend…'

Her breath caught in her throat as she realized each one of the students held a poster in their hands and each poster was either covered in more photos or listed more qualities: my confidant, you're strong, you're independent, the list went on and on. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest. She could feel tears prick the corner of her eyes as he gaze finally, finally, landed on Killian.

He stood in the middle of the room dressed in dark wash jeans, a grey henley, and his leather jacket. His hair was disheveled as always.

She felt the corner of her lips lift into a smile. "Killian what...what is all of this?"

He walked forward and took her hands in his. "This is me finally fighting for what I have wanted for the past four years."

Her heart skipped a beat. He couldn't possibly, after all this time, feel the same as her, could he? "Killian… I don't think…"

He placed a finger on her lips. "Hush now and listen, before you scare yourself into running." His hand jutted out to gesture to all of the students behind him. "You are all of these things to me and more." He paused and seemed to be trying to find the right words. "For the past four years, I have been trying to ignore the growing feelings I have for you. For a while it worked." He smiled slightly. "Until now, that is."

"Killian…" She interrupted. "I don't, I can't…. I don't want to lose you or our friendship."

She wouldn't survive if this all went south and they ruined the friendship that they had. He was too important.

Killian shook his head. "Emma, we have practically been in a sodding relationship for the past two years, love." He ran his fingers through his hair. "Just please, love, what I am asking for, right now, is for a bloody chance. A chance to make this real, to make this something. Bloody hell, Emma… Will you go out with me?"

Behind Killian, the students waited with baited breath. It was so quiet in the room she would've been able to hear a pin drop. Killian shifted from foot to foot as he waited for her answer. Her eyes ran the length of his body. He was her best friend, but the truth of the matter was she'd wanted this for a long time and now, it was her chance. She was tired of running, tired of missing out on the great things in life, and Killian was one of those things.

She moved forward so that their was only a small space between them. "It took you long enough to ask, Jones." She said the words with a smile.

He crushed her body to his as the students in the room let out joyous applause. She could hear Chris behind them telling all of the others 'I told you so.' Killian's hands moved to cradle her face as he placed a quick, chaste kiss to her lips.

"God, Emma. I wish I could kiss you properly." He whispered as he rested his forehead on hers.

"You were the one that invited students." She reminded him.

He shrugged. "Seemed like a good idea at the time. Now, not so much."

She laughed. "How about we get these kids out of here and go back to my place for some takeout and a night in?"

"That sounds perfect." He pulled away from her. "Alright you lot. Thank you for the help, but it seems I've a date to plan and you need to home. We will see you all on Monday!"

"Hey Miss Swan?" She heard Chris shout in her direction.

Emma turned toward him with a raised eyebrow.

"Just friends?" Her student questioned with a grin.

Killian snaked his arms around her waist and she leaned back into him. Her nose crinkled as she shook her head. "Guess not, someone told me we'd make a cute couple. Figured I'd give it a try."

Chris laughed before waving. "See you Monday Miss Swan, Mr. Jones! Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Emma rolled her eyes as Chris walked out of the door to the library. Pulling away from Killian, she intertwined her fingers with his. Now that they were alone, there was only one thing she wanted to do. Lifting up on her toes, she pressed her lips to Killian's once more. His hands rose to tangle in her long locks as she tilted her head to deepen the kiss.

This was what she'd been waiting for.

This was what she'd been missing out on.

She knew in that moment, Killian Jones would not be leaving her life anytime soon.

Not if she could help it.


	8. Where Their Hearts Lie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N Follower Appreciation Prompt: 'we made the mutual decision to go to this party separately and when i arrived there was this asshole flirting with you and i'm trying not to make it obvious i'm seething with jealousy but it's really difficult' au
> 
> This is a companion to chapter 5 "The Right Time" but it takes place before it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follower Appreciation Prompt requested by lenfaz. 
> 
> This is unbeta'ed. All mistakes are mine.

Killian Jones slammed his back into the wall and ran his hand through his hair with a huff. The music that blasted through the speakers should've calmed him, but it had only succeeded in making him more annoyed. His jaw clenched as his blue eyes narrowed. This was not how he'd envisioned this evening going. Why the bloody hell had he agreed to attend this sodding party in the first place?

David Nolan, his best mate and roommate, leaned on the wall next to him explaining how he'd finally mustered up the courage to meet Mary Margaret's father and step-mother. Not that Killian was actually listening. No, his attention was focused on something, or rather _someone_ else entirely.

Emma Swan. She was all he could see, all he could hear. It had been that way since he'd met her. It had taken only one single look at her seafoam eyes, her long pale locks, her flawless skin, and he's become captivated. The only problem was that, at the time, he'd been previously entangled with her best friend Ruby. After meeting Emma, he'd tried to ignore the pull he had to her, tried to ignore the fact that he was inherently drawn to her. It hadn't worked and just a short month later, he ended his dalliance with Ruby. That was over a year ago.

The sweet sound of her laughter rang out and drew his attention back to the present. She was sitting across the room from him on the arm of the ratty brown couch belonging to the owner of the home, some guy named Whale. Her hair hung in loose curls to the middle of her back, the red dress she'd chosen for the evening hugged her every curve, and the length of the garment did nothing to help his situation. She looked bloody breathtaking, like a bleeding goddess sent from the heavens.

It wasn't just her appearance the drew him to her, though. Emma Swan was easily the smartest, toughest, and strongest woman he'd ever met and he was lucky enough to call her his girlfriend. That is, he would be able to call her his girlfriend if anyone actually knew they were dating. Which, no one did. Not even David and especially not Ruby.

It had been her decision to keep their relationship a secret, not that he'd minded at first. Quite frankly, he understood why she was so worried. It wasn't every day you started dating your best friend's ex. But it had been seven months since they had first kissed, ironically at a party very similar to this one, and she'd made no attempt to bring up the issue again.

Normally, it wasn't a big deal. Normally, he dealt with their secret by burying himself in her presence. Normally, Graham sodding Humbert was not sitting with his arm around her waist while _toying_ with the fabric of the dress covering her thigh.

Anger coursed through his veins as he fisted his hands at his sides. He wanted nothing more than to march over to her and wrap his arms around her petite frame, to press his lips to hers and show every person in this bloody room that Emma Swan was not available to anyone but him.

He wasn't normally one to be jealous. In fact, he often prided himself on being quite the opposite but… He had fallen in love with the woman on that couch and he wanted to tell the world.

"Killian, is everything okay?" His mate's worried words broke through his anger filled haze.

He shook his head dejectedly. "No, mate, it's really not."

"What's going on, Killian?" David asked, eyes full of concern.

Killian groaned, he should've known David would want to talk about it. David always wanted to talk about whatever was going on, likely due to Mary Margaret's influence.

Drawing his head up, his eyes locked with Emma's across the room. She tilted her head, her eyebrows bunching in question, but she made no move to remove Humbert's arm from her waist. He honestly did not know what pissed him off more, the fact that she knowingly let another touch her or the fact that she acted like she had no idea why he was so visibly upset. Either way, he wasn't sticking around to find out.

Ignoring her look, he clapped his hand on David's shoulder and turned his head to look at his mate. "You know what Dave, I don't feel much like talking about it. I'm going to head out."

Then, without waiting on David's response, he turned on his heel and walked toward the door leaving a wide-eyed Emma behind him.

* * *

 

The party had taken place only twenty minutes from his own apartment, but he was able to make it back in just fifteen minutes. Before the door could even close behind him, his fingers were curled around the neck of an open rum bottle. Taking a swig the liquid burned as is went down, but it is a good burn. One he welcomed after the hellish evening he'd had.

Lowering the bottle to the counter, he ran a shaky hand through his hair. What a bloody disaster. He'd allowed his jealousy and anger to get the best of him and he'd walked out on his lass without so much as a word. It was the height of bad form. His fingers tightened around the neck of the bottle. He wanted to drown his sorrows in this rum and forget he'd ever agreed to attend the party, he wanted to forget the sight of Emma with another man's arms around her waist, he just wanted to forget.

His gaze fell to the bottle on the countertop. Wetting his lips, he bit the bottom one as he debated if he should just call it a night and head off to bed. He could wake in the morning with a clear head and then, deal with the situation. He could...

The sound of a knock echoed through the small apartment. His eyebrows furrowed as he rotated his head toward the doorway in confusion. How had someone known he was home when he'd only been home for five bloody minutes? He shook his head and made a move towards his bedroom. Perhaps if he didn't answer they would just go away. Another knock sounded through the apartment and he stopped in his tracks. Bugger it. He rolled his eyes, pivoting toward the door. He might as well get this over with.

His hand wrapped around the door handle, the metal felt cool in his palm, and he yanked open the door. A gasp escaped as he took in green eyes and blonde hair, the last thing he expected to see. Especially after the way he'd left the party, left her.

"Emma? Why are…" The words died as his throat dried up.

Emma shook her head as she walked past him into the apartment. For a moment, he just stood there unsure of how to proceed. Twenty minutes ago he would have been angry at her behavior, both at the party and now. Now, now he didn't know what he felt. He was still hurt by her actions at the party, but she had come here and, seeing as she arrived only five minutes after him, she'd obviously left pretty quickly.

Shutting the door, he engaged the deadbolt before turning to walk toward the living room. The hallway wasn't a long one, so it was but a moment before she came back into view. She was standing in the middle of the living room, tucking a stray lock behind her ear, while shifting her weight from foot to foot. Her dress looked just as amazing as it had twenty minutes ago, but it was her eyes that drew his attention. Her emerald eyes were full of concern, of sadness, and even fear. He felt his heart clench in response.

Suddenly, none of the events from before mattered. All that mattered was that she was here, with him. All that mattered was that she had chosen him. He strode forward, his arms finding their place around her waist, and drew her lips up in a kiss.

She wasted no time in her response, her hands lifted to anchor in his hair, her mouth opened to allow him further access. The feeling of her pressed against him was almost too much to bear and he hummed in happiness. One of his arms moved from her waist, rising to cup her cheek gently.

Breaking their kiss, Emma leaned into his touch. Her eyes closed and a sigh escaped. "Are you okay?"

One corner of his mouth lifted as he nodded his head. "I am now that you're here, love."

She returned his smile. "I'm sorry about the party, it was a bad idea and I am sorry about Graham. We, uh, well, we used to be close and …."

He shakes his head and presses his lips to her forehead. "It matters not, love. I acted as if I were a young, jealous lad. Tis not my proudest moment, but you are here now and I've found that is all the explanation I need."

Her lips formed a thin line, eyebrows furrowed. "No." She shook her head before lifting her hardened eyes to meet his gaze. A hand fell to rest on his chest, right over his heart. "I owe you an explanation, one I intend to give you. You've given so much by letting me take the lead in this relationship and I owe you at least this."

His heart clenched in his chest. He understood her need to explain, but he really wasn't mad any longer. In fact, with her in his arms, he'd forgotten that he'd been upset in the first place and because of that he knew that this was a conversation that could wait until the morning.

He covered her hand with his, squeezing slightly. "Okay, love, I will listen to anything you have to say, but in the morning, yeah. That way we will both be rested and able to discuss the events with a clear head."

She bit her bottom lip and he wished the action didn't affect him so, because now the last thing he wanted to do was to go to bed and actually sleep.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk tonight?" She questioned one last time.

He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. "Positive, Swan. Let's get to bed."

She allowed him to pull her to his bedroom and only then did he release her hand. Within minutes they both were beneath the comforter of his bed, her back pressed to his chest, her bare legs tangled with his own. This was how he hoped his night would end, this was the one place he always wanted to end up.

"Are you sure you're okay with what happened tonight?" Her voice was a murmur in the darkness of the room.

He nodded his head, sinking his nose into her hair. "Aye. I've moved past it. I know where your heart, and mine for that matter, lies and that is good enough for me."

She turned in his arms, her nose bumping lightly against his, and cupped his cheek. "I'm with you, Killian. Always."

He nodded in understanding, his lips curving into a small smile. "And I with you, darling."

He pressed a kiss to her forehead as her eyes fell closed. The events of the night ran through his head and he concentrated on the beautiful lass lying in the bed next to him. They still had much to discuss, the events of the evening being the main ones, but he knew that in the end the out be okay. Bloody hell, they would be marvelous.

Because, as long as he had Emma Swan by his side, how could he be anything else?


	9. Friends, or Something More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'we're on a roadtrip with some friends and we have to share a hotel room and there's only one bed and a whole lot of sexual tension' au

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follower Appreciation Prompt. Requested by in-spirational. I hope you enjoy this! Please let me know what you think!
> 
> Thank you to o-u-a-timer and theladyofmishaven for helping out on this one!
> 
> This one goes a bit into the M territory.

The roadtrip had been Mary Margaret's idea. One last hurrah for the two of them before they graduated from Boston University and went their separate ways. At first, she'd been totally against the idea, she loved Mary Margaret, but spending a week alone with her and her constant optimism was not on the top of her todo list. When she'd found out Regina and Ruby had agreed to go a road trip suddenly didn't seem so terrible.

The plan had been simple, they would leave the Friday before spring break after Regina's last exam and spend the next three days making their way to Virginia Beach. Not that it took that long to get to their destination, they just wanted to drive and enjoy the random touristy stuff they found along the way. Once in Virginia Beach, they would spend the remainder of their vacation soaking up the rays before leaving Sunday.

When the day they were heading out finally arrived, she'd been excited. She'd worked her ass off this semester and was in dire need of a break. She'd walked from her dorm to the parking lot with a smile on her face, one that quickly fell at the sight before her.

It seemed, Mary Margaret and Regina had failed to mention that they had also invited their boyfriends along for the trip and, it seemed, David and Hood had invited two of their other friends as well. The first, who was standing next to Ruby, was a blonde she'd never really seen before and the second, well she was quite aware of who the second one was… In fact, she would know the blue eyes of Killian Jones anywhere.

They were the same blue eyes that had stared at her across the room in her organic chemistry class a year and a half ago and lit up when they ended up being lab partners. They'd had classes together from that point on, since he'd just transferred London, and eventually they'd started to sit next to each other in every class. A couple of months ago, she'd run into him at The Rabbit Hole and introduced him to David. The next thing she knew the two were playing in a local rec rugby league together, which explained his presence on the trip.

The thing was… Over the last year and a half, Killian and her had become friends, or at the very least something between acquaintances and friends. The only problem was she'd had a crush on him from the moment they'd met, a crush that she had yet to act on given her history with relationships.

Running her fingers through her hair, her eyes settled on Killian across the parking lot. His hand rose as he gave her a little wave, his lips curling into a smile, and she couldn't help but return one of her own. He really had the best smile.

Hiking her bag on her shoulder further, she forced her feet to move forward. By the time she reached the car, Killian stood directly in front of her.

"Well, if it isn't the Lady Swan. I was not informed you would be joining us on this little trip, lass." His thumbs were hooked in his belt as he stared at her with his eyebrow arched.

She shrugged. "I could say the same about you, Jones."

He stepped forward, invading her space as his head cocked to the side. "Well, Dave here asked if I wanted to go on an adventure and you know me love, I'm always _up for a challenge_."

His tongue swiped across his bottom lip and she found herself swallowing hard. How was it that this man could make even the simplest of sentences seem so ungodly obscene? It was like a special talent of his, one that she both loved and hated because it threw her off kilter and she didn't like that feeling. She didn't like guessing if he was being serious or if this was all a game, if he actually had real feelings or if he didn't. Which is why she'd avoided making a move for so long.

Squaring her shoulders, she rolled her eyes in his direction. "So sleeping in a car and a hotel is a challenge?"

Without answering he grabbed her bookbag of her shoulder, his fingers brushing the bare skin underneath and she shivered. Her cheeks reddened. His eyes met hers and she gasped at the warmth she saw there. He lifted his hand, fingers tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and moved so close she could feel his breath tickle her cheeks.

"As long as you're next to me, love, nothing will be a challenge." Pivoting, he threw her bag into the backseat next to a beat up black duffle she assumed was his.

She felt breathless as she watched him climb into the SUV, shocked at the words he'd spoken, shocked by how honest he'd seemed. There was no way he meant those words the way she thought he did, no way he…

His hand in front of her drew her attention back to him and she saw that he was staring at her once more, this time his eyes were unsure, almost nervous.

"Are you coming, love?" He murmured.

Biting her lip, she nodded her head and placed her hand in his. It was the first time they'd ever held hands and she felt the shock of _something_ travel up her arm. Her lips fell open and she shook her head in an attempt not to overthink anything. He was just helping her into the car, he was just being a friends. None of this actually meant anything.

A moment later she was crammed into the seat between the luggage and Killian Jones. She could feel every part of his body that was pressed against her and she tried to control her breathing. She looked over at him shyly. His face was trained ahead, but she could still see the smile on his lips. Looking down, she noticed her hand was still in his. A smile formed on her own lips.

This was going to be an interesting trip, indeed.

* * *

She pressed her back against the door of the motel room as it came to a close. The cool metal did wonders for the sun burnt skin on her back and she felt herself sigh in relief. That is, until she heard her Killian shuffling around in the room. Drawing her bottom lip into her mouth, she bit down nervously and wondered how she was going to survive the next ten hours without making a fool of herself. If that were even possible.

She shook her head. This was all Ruby's fault, or possibly Whale's. When she'd agreed to this trip it had been with the understanding that she would be rooming with Ruby once they finally arrived to the hotel in Virginia Beach. Now that they were here, Ruby had ditched her to room with Victor. Leaving Killian without a place to sleep.

So she'd done the friend thing and told him to crash in her room, despite the fact that she would most definitely rather him be in her bed.

Her head fell backwards and hit the door softly. It was only for tonight, she could make it through one night and then beg Ruby to switch back. It couldn't possibly be...

"Swan, it seems we have a bit of a problem." He called out from in front of her.

Her eyes opened quickly as she lifted her head from the door before walking into the room. "What's the prob…"

Her stomach dropped as her words trailed off. In the middle of the room, where there should have been two full beds, sat one queen bed. She felt her heart pounding in her chest. Over the last three days, her and Killian had spent a lot of time together. Somehow, it always seemed like the couples, which now included Whale and Ruby, had paired off to do everything together thus leaving her and Killian alone.

Which was fine, really. She enjoyed his company and dare she even say his damned innuendo, but she was still unsure. How was she supposed to know how he felt about this _thing_ between them, about her? She'd spent the last three day overanalyzing every comment, every touch, everything. She'd thought she'd get a break tonight, she thought…

Apparently, she'd been wrong.

* * *

Emma bit her lip, her eyes drifting to the makeshift pallet Killian had made on the floor between the bed and the dresser. The hotel didn't have any rollaways left. He informed her of this the moment she walked out of the bathroom. It's wasn't surprising, nothing else had worked out for her all day so why should it start now?

From her place on the bed all she could see was the top of his dark head, his hair stuck up in every which direction and she had the sudden urge to run her fingers through it. Sighing, she forced her eyes closed and clenched her jaw as he shifted on the floor again.

He ended up trying to sleep on the floor despite her protests that he could sleep in the bed with her, above the covers of course. It wasn't his fault her supposed roommate had kicked him out of his own room or that the room only had one bed, why should he be punished? He insisted, however, citing 'Good Form' and being a 'gentleman.'

An hour later, she'd found herself speechless as he patted her on the head like a child and said, "Have a marvelous sleep, love."

Then he made his way to the end of the bed and laid down, his back in her direction. Admitting defeat, she'd cuddled into the blankets and tried to force herself to sleep. Only it hadn't worked, not when she kept hearing him shifting and not when she knew she could do something about it.

"Killian…" The words were out of her mouth before she realized she'd made the decision to speak, but once they were there she had no choice but to continue. "Killian, are you still awake?"

The room stayed silent for only a moment, then she heard Killian move once more.

"Aye, lass." His words were a low murmur.

Her fingers played with the hem of the comforter on the bed. Was she really going to do this? Was she really going to invite her crush to share the bed with her? She heard him shift once more and her fingers curled around the blanket. They were friends and friends could share a bed. Friends could share a bed and a blanket and be mature about it.

She flung the blanket back and patted the sheets next to her. "Get up here, Jones. Stop acting like a baby. We're friends, we can share a bed. Besides, I won't be responsible for your crappy attitude tomorrow."

He moved quickly, pushing himself off the floor and rounding the bed before she knew what was happening. Her eyes blinked rapidly as he slid in next to her and pulled the blanket out of her clenched fingers. Her breath caught in her throat as he leaned in his nose bumping hers lightly.

"I assure you, Emma, I am anything but a baby." He didn't wait for her to respond before flopping on his back, pulling the blankets up, and closing his eyes.

Her mouth fell open as she continued to stare at him. Had he really… was he seriously… Shaking her head, she ignored the urge to make a retort, to throw him off his game like he so often did to her. She laid down next to him and tried to make her breathing even, to clear her head, but couldn't. She was acutely aware of how close he was, of how he smelled, of what his breathing sounded like. Her eyes stared at the ceiling above her.

She was so screwed.

* * *

It was a light touch to her abdomen, just slightly above the waistband of her pajama shorts, that caused Emma's eyes to flutter open. The room was still dark, so dark that she couldn't see the wall from her space on the bed, but she didn't need to see in order to feel Killian pressed tightly to her back, to feel his fingertips drawing lazy circles at her waist.

Her body froze, her breath catching in her throat while her heart thumped wildly, and she tried not to wake her sleeping bedmate. Every motion his fingers made caused heat to curl in her stomach and she bit her lip in an effort to keep quiet. There was no way he knew what he was doing, no way he realized it was her he was pressed against.

She felt her cheeks flush when he shifted further into her, his legs tangling with her own. Her hand fisted the pillowcase underneath her. This man was going to be the death of her. She wanted to turn around and press her lips to his, to run her hands through his hair, and to feel his hands on her.

She wanted him. There was no denying that anymore, not after the last three days, not after spending every moment together on this roadtrip, and especially not after waking up wrapped in his arms. But, did he want her? She didn't just mean in this moment or on this vacation either, she meant when they got back to Boston, when she (and he) were so bogged down with school they couldn't see straight. She didn't want another Neal, another Walsh, or another Graham. She was tired of being alone and she wanted someone who would stick around.

His nose pressing into her hair pulled her back to the present. His fingers left her stomach and glided further up her side causing the tank top she wore to ride up. Unconsciously, she pressed herself back and closed the very little space between them. She could feel his hardness against her and she bit the inside of her cheek. Losing the battle with herself, she reached behind her and ran her fingers up Killian's bare thigh.

As soon as her fingers touched his skin, Killian moaned and dropped his head between her neck and shoulder. She couldn't help the smile that formed on her lips as her chest filled with desire.

"Bloody hell, Emma, please don't let this be a dream." His voice was hoarse, full of want, of need.

The smile on her face grew and she ducked her head against his. "If this is a dream, it is the best one I've had in awhile."

His lips brushed the bare skin of her shoulder before he nipped lightly. Her eyes fell closed, a moan escaping from her own lips as she gripped his thigh. In response, he jerked his hips forward and bit down harder.

"Fuck, lass." The words were whispered into her skin, his voice shaking with each word. "I've wanted this this the moment I saw you, since the moment our eyes met across that classroom." His fingers brushed the underside of her breast as he left open mouth kisses along her throat and shoulder.

His lips on her felt like heaven. It was everything she imagined it would be, everything she wanted it to be. His words had begun to settle the fears in her heart, the fear that this was all a game to him. He lifted his head from her shoulder, his hand rose to tilt her head in his direction.

For a moment, she wondered what was wrong. Why was he stopping? Had she misinterpreted what he wanted? But, as soon as her eyes meant his, she knew it was none of those things. His eyes normally blue eyes were dark with the desire he held for her, but they were also full of something else, something akin to vulnerability.

"Tell me this is not a one time thing, Emma." He begged her, his voice cracking with emotion. "Tell me you feel the same as I. That you want this as much as I do."

She shifted, her body turning to face his. Her hand came to rest on his shirt over his heart. Her head fell forward, their foreheads meeting and resting lightly against each other. Relief flooded throughout her just from knowing he wanted her as much as she did him. He wanted this and that was all she need to hear.

"Yes." The words were barely out of her mouth before he surged forward and pressed his lips to hers.

She wasted no time in tilting her head and deepening the kiss, her lips opening to allow his tongue access. He tasted like mint, no doubt left over from the toothpaste he used, and she wanted to be closer, to feel his skin on hers. His fingers tangled in her hair as hers rose to cup his cheeks. The kiss ended as he pulled away gently, his eyes meeting hers once more.

"Yeah?" He questioned once more.

She nodded her head, a grin taking over her face. "Yes, Killian."

He surged forward once more, lips catching hers while he moved his body over her and pressed her into the mattress. A giggle escaped, but was soon forgotten as a hand rose to cup her breast through her tank top. Her hands pressed against the bare skin of his chest, underneath the shirt he still wore, and she flexed her fingers through the hair she found there.

His lips left hers and he trailed kisses down her chin to her neck as his hands fingered the hem of her tank top before pulling it up and over her head. She couldn't believe she waited this long to be in this place, to be in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he took a nipple into her mouth causing her to groan with need. Her last coherent thought was that now that she was here, in his arms, she wouldn't be leaving anytime soon.

* * *

The next morning, she woke up wrapped in his arms as he pressed a kiss behind her ear.

He took her on their first date that evening.

When Ruby tried to return to the room that night, Emma smiled and told her she needed to make other arrangements.

She would much rather share a bed with Killian anyway.


	10. Keeping the Secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Follower Appreciation Prompt: 'you look so hot but i can't go near you with all these people around so i'm just going to send you dirty texts until we get an opportunity to leave without looking suspicious' au

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a companion to both chapter 5 "The Right Time" and Chapter 8 "Where Their Hearts Lie." Here is the chronological order of these separate pieces: (1) Keeping the Secret, (2) Where Their Hearts Lie, (3) The Right Time.
> 
> There are many people who like this verse, I plan on writing at least one more in this verse to wrap everything up.
> 
> Requested by in-spirational. I hope you enjoy this! Please let me know what you think!
> 
> This is unbeta'ed. All mistakes are mine.
> 
> We will rate this one "M" as well. (Not too bad, but still just to be safe)

Biting her bottom lip, Emma caught sight of the dark, disheveled hair she'd been looking for all evening and couldn't help the way her lips curled into a smile at the sight of him. He'd come, just like he said he would. Not that she'd actually doubted him, if she'd learned anything about Killian Jones since meeting him it was that he was a man of his word, but their relationship was so new, so fragile, that she'd been unsure.

Schooling her features, she let her gaze linger on him just a bit longer. He had on ripped dark wash jeans, a white henley, and that damned leather jacket he loved so much. He looked good enough to eat, which, if she had any say about it, was something she planned on doing later. Once the survived this get together Elsa decided to have, that is.

Her eyes fell back to the cards in her hand, she was playing some game Elsa had set up, before lifting back up to find Killian's intense eyes staring at her. She felt her cheeks flush as she shifted nervously in her seat her bare legs sticking to the leather of the couch. He was looking at her like she was a buffet and he a man starving for food, it was a look she was quite familiar with only this was not the time nor place for that look. Tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, she ducked her head once more.

This thing between them was intense, it had been since the moment they'd started it, and it really wasn't a good time...

"I can't believe he actually showed up." Ruby Lucas huffed from next to her.

Emma jerked her head to look at her best friend. Her eyes were narrowed in Killian's direction, her hold on the card intense as she glared. Ruby was exactly why she had to hide from Killian's intense stare. Killian may have been Emma's boyfriend at the moment, and had been for almost three months, but he was also Ruby's ex boyfriend.

The problem was… Ruby had no idea that her and Killian were even seeing each other and she'd like to keep it that way. At least, for awhile longer. Besides, it wasn't like she'd jumped into bed with Killian the moment he and Ruby had called it quits, it had taken six months and an entire bottle of rum for it to happen. But still, Ruby was her best friend and it was, as Killian would say, bad form.

Ruby bumping her shoulder caught her attention. "Sorry Rubes, I was zoning, what did you say?"

She pointed to Killian, who was deep in conversation with Kristoff. "Killian." She deadpanned. "I can't believe he came."

Emma ran her fingers through her hair and tired to control her rapidly beating heart. "Why wouldn't he come? He, David, and Kristoff have become a sort of unit since you introduced them."

Ruby sighed, her hand waving in the air. "I know." She groaned. "That doesn't make it any easier to see him."

She felt her stomach twist. Even after almost eight months, it seemed Ruby was no closer to being over Killian than when they'd first separated. She bit her lip, her arm rose of wrap around Ruby's shoulder. "I know, but don't let it ruin your night. It's not often you get an evening off, don't let some ex-boyfriend mess it up for you."

Ruby nodded, her eyes hardening with resolve. "You're right! I'm not going to let his terrible decision affect my night off. I'm going to have fun and make him regret the moment he decided breaking up with me was a good idea!

Ruby laughed and pulled her in for a hug. Emma's arms wrapped around her best friend, but she couldn't ignore the clenching of her heart. This was all her fault. Maybe if she hadn't moved in on Killian, he would have went back to Ruby and she would be happy. Maybe... Her eyes caught Killian's over Ruby's shoulder and he have her a small smile.

The corners of her mouth lifted and she forgot all of her worries. That was what Killian did for her, he made her forget all of her troubles, all of the hurt, and she didn't want to give that up. She didn't want to give him up.

She just needed to figure out a way to get Ruby to understand that.

* * *

 

Her cheeks felt warm, actually the entire room did. It was hours after Killian had arrived, hours of him staring at her from across the room and hours of Ruby pretending like he wasn't even there. Not that she actually minded that part. In fact, she'd rather Ruby ignore him all night then make make comments under her breath or, even worse, stare at him with want in her eyes. At least this way things were not awkward.

Ruby nudged her shoulder while laughing at something Elsa had said. Emma shook her head and lifter her bottle of beer. The cool glass settled on her bottle lip and, as she tilted the bottle back, her eyes caught Killian's from across the room. His eyebrow rose, tongue darted out to wet his bottom lip, and the need to taste his lips spiked through her. Only, she couldn't, not with Ruby in the room. His head tilted his head in her direction, his eyes twinkling with mirth and an idea formed in her head.

She might not be able to kiss him in public, but that didn't mean she couldn't have a little fun.

Smirking, she sat the bottle down and reached for her cell phone. Her finger swiped across the screen until she was able to pull up her text message thread to Killian. Her smirk only grew as she snuck a glance to see if Ruby was paying attention and realized she was not. Quickly she typed the message and sent it before clicking the button to shut of screen and laying the phone in her lap.

Picking up her cards, she kept her eyes trained on Killian as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and unlocked the screen. She suppressed a giggle as she saw his eyes widen and fall to meet her own. The corner of his mouth lifted as he typed something into the phone and placed it back in his pocket before returning to his conversation with Kristoff.

Her eyebrows furrowed. That was it? He wasn't going to give her any other reaction? Seriously? How… Her phone beeped from her lap indicating a new message. Her eyes darted to Ruby to make sure she was still engrossed with the game before she unlocked the phone and looked at the thread with her message on the top.

_**10:35 PM There is something else I would prefer to have in my mouth over this beer ;-)** _

_10:37 PM Is that so, love? Perhaps some rum is in order? By the way, you look rather fetching this evening. I've had to talk myself out of walking over and sliding my fingers over the fabric to feel your body beneath more than once this evening, but it is quickly becoming a losing battle._

She bit her lip, pressing her legs togethers at the thought of his hands running up her side slowly until he cupped her breast over the material of her dress. He wasn't fighting fair, not when he knew how she would react, but that didn't mean she was going to give up.

_**10:40 PM I'd prefer your hands on my bare skin, your breath hot against my neck as you trail kisses everywhere you can reach while I press into you.** _

Her tongue pressed against the roof of her mouth. Across the room, she heard Killian's phone beep and she focused on him. He nodded to Kristoff, agreeing to whatever the man was saying, before taking a swig of his rum and unlocking the phone. She watched as his whole body tensed, his hand gripping the glass of rum until his knuckles were white, and his jaw clenching as he took deep steadying breaths.

She couldn't help thinking that perhaps she'd won this round, perhaps she'd...

"Hey, Ems?" Ruby bounced from her seat next to her.

Her head jerked to focus on her friend, a fake smile took over her features. "Yeah?"

She hoped for the sake of her friendship that Ruby had not noticed her exchanging looks with Killian.

Ruby held up her empty beer bottle. "Think you can get me another? This game is getting good."

Relief flooded her system. "You owe me!" Nodding, she took the bottle from Ruby's hand before making her way to the kitchen.

She'd barely gotten the door to the refrigerator open before she was pressed up against it from behind. Her lips curled as she took in the scent she was quite familiar with, the scent of Killian Jones. She'd never been more thankful that Elsa's kitchen was clothed off to the rest of the apartment.

His hand twisted around her waist until it splayed over her flat stomach. Instinctively, she pressed back into him and could feel his hardness pushing into her as he groaned.

"Bloody hell, Emma. You don't play fair." He whispered into his ear, his voice ragged and hoarse, as he began kissing down her throat.

They were playing with fire, but she couldn't bring herself to care, not when the heat of his lips on her skin felt so good. Shifting her head to give him better access, she curled her arm up to tug in his hair. "I never said I would."

He groaned and pressed his hips forward. "Bloody minx. We need to leave. Now. Before I do something really stupid."

His lips had made it to her shoulder, his free hand rose to cup her breast, just like she imagined, and she wanted more. "Like what?"

He growled, pushing her into the appliance further. "Like take you in this kitchen while your friends are in the other room."

She pulled forward so she could look him in the eye and gulped. His eyes were blown, desire pooling in his irises and she knew he wasn't kidding. He was as on edge as she was.

"Okay. I'll make my excuses. I'll meet you outside in five minutes." Her body sagged as he took a step back.

"Thank you, love. Five minutes." He pivoted, walking out of the kitchen as quickly as possible to say goodbye to Kristoff no doubt.

She stood for a moment, trying to catch her breath, and ran her fingers through her hair. She should've known tonight would end this way. Things between the two of them had been intense from the start and they were only getting more so. Hearing Ruby laugh from the other room reminded her of her promise to Killian.

Ruby could be dealt with at another time, but it needed to be soon. She couldn't keep this secret much longer. But for now….

Her boyfriend was waiting.


	11. Secrets Told

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Follower Appreciation Prompt: 'we were snuggling in our underwear when my roommate came home early from vacation now you have to try and sneak down the fire escape while i distract them with really terrible small talk' au
> 
> I kind of changed the prompt a bit to fit my needs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a companion to both Chapter 5, Chapter 8, and Chapter 10.
> 
> Here is the chronological order of these separate pieces: (1) Chapter 10: Keeping the Secret, (2) Chapter 8: Where Their Hearts Lie, (3) Chapter 5: The Right Time, (4) Chapter 11: Secrets Told.
> 
> This is it, the conclusion to not only this verse, but my follower prompts. Thank you all for you patience! I have one more random prompt to finish and then I should be able to get back to Learning to Love (Again)!
> 
> Requested by in-spirational. I hope you enjoy this! Please let me know what you think!
> 
> This is unbeta'ed. All mistakes are mine.
> 
> We will rate this one "M" as well. (Not too bad, but still just to be safe)

Killian's lips left soft kisses down the length of her neck as she shoved her hands into his hair pulling lightly. _He loves me._ A giggle escaped her as his fingertips brushed the underside of her breast and she pushed herself further into his embrace. _I love him._ She felt him smile against her skin and a lightness settled into her chest. _Love._ After their fight the night before, the one over the date Ruby had set up for her, they'd fallen into bed and lost themselves in each other, lost themselves in their confessions. Then, this morning they decided that leaving the bed was just something neither one wanted to do.

She tilted her head to allow him better access as he made his way down her throat to her shoulder, his fingers trailed down her belly softly. She inhaled sharply, her eyes closing as her hands moved from his hair to his shoulders. She never wanted to leave the comfort of his arms. Fingers skimmed the elastic of her panties as he nuzzled his nose between her breasts. A sigh escaped and she flexed her fingers into the bare skin of his back.

"Killian." The words came out as a whine and she felt him chuckle against her.

"You taste so bloody good, Emma. You always do." He whispered the words into her skin before moving to press his lips into her abdomen.

Her hands tangled in his hair once more while goosebumps formed on her skin. "Killian, please."

He settled his chin on her stomach, a smirk on his face. "Is there something you wanted, love?"

She rolled her eyes, hands clenched in his hair. "You know damn well what I…"

The front door of the apartment slammed closed and her eyes widened. There was only one person that could be. Ruby.

Killian tilted his head, an eyebrow arched in her direction. "Are we expecting some company I was not aware of?"

She shook her head, her blonde locks hitting her cheeks lightly. "No. Ruby was supposed to be gone all weekend. Maybe she decided to come back early?"

She gulped, biting her bottom lip. He needed to leave. The last thing she wanted was for Ruby to find out about their relationship by walking in on them.

"Killian." His eyes hardened at her whispered voice. "You need to go, you…"

He pulled himself off of her, his movements tense and jerky. "I thought we were past this, Emma." He flung the words in her direction, his voice sharp. "Last night you said you were going to tell her, that we were done with all of this hiding." His legs slipped into his jeans and he pulled them up to button them without wasting time on his underwear.

"We are!" She reached next to her and pulled a shirt over her head before standing up and making her way to him.

She pressed her hand on his bare chest gently and felt his heart beating rapidly beneath. How was she going to make him understand that she had every intention of talking to Ruby, just not with him here. His eyes never once left her face, his jaw clenched several times and she leaned forward to press her nose into his chest.

"I'm telling her, Killian. I just can't do it with you here. This is my mess. Let me clean it up." She kissed the skin in front of her and felt him exhale.

"I should be here, love." He kissed the hair on top of her head and she felt herself relax.

It wasn't a shock that he wanted to be here to support her, he always wanted to be there for her. Only, this was her mistake. Ruby was her friend and it was her idea to keep their relationship a secret, she needed to handle this on her own.

She shook her head. "I know you want to be here and I think I love you even more for that, but Ruby will take it better coming from me."

His arms wound their way around her waist, squeezing lightly. "As you wish, love. As you wish."

* * *

 

Shutting the bedroom door, Emma tucked her hair behind her ear. She'd left Killian in the room with the plan to exit out of the fire escape so Ruby would see him and a promise to call him later that evening to let him know how things went. Not that she expected things to go well, she had been lying to Ruby for over eight months and her friend had every right to be angry.

"Hey!" Ruby came bounding into the living room, her hands holding a bag of chips and a can of pepsi as she took a seat on the couch.

"Hey. I thought you were going to be out of town all weekend?" Emma asked, taking a seat next to her friend.

Ruby shrugged her shoulders and popped a chip into her mouth. "Change of plans. Why did you have big plans? Oh! How was your date with Walsh?"

"I didn't actually go." Her voice was a soft murmur as she bit her lip.

Ruby turned toward Emma, her features full of disappointment. "Ems. Why didn't you go? How are you going to find your prince charming if you refuse to even date? It's…"

Emma rolled her eyes as Ruby launched into the speech she'd heard a thousand times. It wasn't that she was tired of hearing it, it was just that she had already found her…. well Killian wasn't really a prince, a smile formed, he was more like a pirate but still. She'd found him. She loved him.

She just needed to tell Ruby this, needed to explain to her friend that she didn't need a date because she had one. But how? Ruby was her best friend, practically her sister. Maybe she should've waited for Killian to be here, maybe she should just tell her. Kind of like pulling off a bandaid, fast and easy…

"I'm dating Killian." The words were whispered between them before she even had a chance to change her mind.

Ruby stopped speaking, her eyes widening as confusion took over her features. "I'm sorry. I think I just heard you say you were dating Killian. As in Killian Jones, my ex Killian Jones?"

She bit her lip, tears pooled in her lids. "I'm so…"

Ruby held her hand up to stop her from speaking. Her head tilted to the side. "No. Stop. You just told me your dating my ex, but that is impossible because you are my best friend and you would have told me."

Emma reached out to place her hand on Ruby's knee only to have her jerk it away. Her gaze fell to the floor, ashamed. "I didn't tell you at first because I didn't want to hurt you and then there was just never a good time and…"

"How long?" Ruby interrupted, her voice sharp.

Emma raised her head to meet her friends eyes. "Eight months."

Ruby stood, the bag of chips falling to the floor, and Emma felt the palms of her hand begin to sweat. She was a horrible friend, a horrible person.

"Eight months, Emma?" Ruby paced the room in front of her. "You've been dating him for eight months and you didn't trust me enough to tell me?"

Emma opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Trust? Her eyebrows furrowed. What did trust have to do with this? Of course she trusted her, of course…

"I didn't want to hurt you Ruby." Her voice shook as she spoke.

Ruby stopped in the middle of the room, her eyes locking on Emma's. "Hurt me? Killian and I broke up over a year ago. I've moved on, several times over. I don't care about you dating him, I care that you lied to me for months. _Months,_ Emma. I thought we were friends, I thought we told each other everything, I…"

The tears in Emma's eyes fell as she stood up and walked toward Ruby, only for Ruby to step away from her, a look of betrayal on her face. "Please, Ruby we are friends. Best friends. I didn't know what to do. I only did what I thought was best…"

"So you thought it was best to lie to me? Thanks, Emma. Nice to know how much I mean to you." Ruby backed up toward the door.

Emma's heart shattered in her chest. She knew this wasn't going to be easy, but she never expected this. She never expected Ruby to feel to hurt.

"Ruby, I don't know what to do. How can I make this better?" The tears were rolling down her cheeks now as she hiccuped the words.

Ruby stopped backing up, her hands clenching at her sides. "Right now, I don't think you can do anything. I'm going to go stay with Granny for awhile. Maybe in a couple of weeks we can talk."

Emma nodded her head. If she understood anything, it was the need to be alone, to process things on her own. This was her fault and she had no choice but to deal with it.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She stood in the middle of the hallway, unsure of what else to say.

Ruby opened the door, her eyes catching Emma's. "I know. I just need some time."

The door slammed shut as Emma crumpled to the floor, her body racked with sobs. She'd hurt the one person who had been there for her through everything and even though she knew Killian was worth all of this, it didn't make it better.

A moment later, strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her toward a hard chest. She knew from the scent it was Killian, that somehow he hadn't left, somehow he knew she would need him.

"I've got you, my love. I'm here." His hands ran the length of her spin as he pressed light kisses into her hair.

She nodded, her arms finding his waist as she rested her head on his chest. This was exactly where she wanted to be.

"All you alright, love?" He cupped her cheeks and forced her to look at him.

She shrugged. Things may be rough right now, but she had to believe they would work out. Eventually, Ruby would want to talk to her and things would go back to normal. Until then, she had Killian.

"No, but you're here and that is what matters."

He smiled and kissed her nose. "Aye and I've no plans to be anywhere else. I love you, Emma Swan."

She smiled as he wiped her cheeks free of tears. "I love you, too."

She cuddled back into his chest, taking the comfort that he offered freely. She might not have went about their relationship the correct way, but being honest with Ruby meant that they no longer had to hide. She could focus on the future.

She could focus on _their_ future.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please leave a review if you feel up to it!


End file.
